Love Doesn't Lie
by XxAngelLoveRosexX
Summary: "Can I stay here?" "No." But nothing she said was going to change what he did next. She heard the clunk of heavy boots bounce along the floor and distinct shuffling. Before she knew it, Marvel had also dived into the covers, with only his trousers on. Clove tightened the ball she had laid in when his arm snaked her closer. "Get out." "No."
1. Chapter 1

**I would just like to note in this chapter, on behalf of all the chapters in this fanfiction: Suzanne Collins owns The Hunger Games, ALL of it's characters, the storyline and the title. Hope you like this Clarvel fanfiction :') Please R&R ! And enjoy! **

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Clove's head snapped up when she realized that it was her name called out. Her dark eyes narrowed, and a menacing grin crept along her lips. She barged past the frail, weaker girls in her line, even catching quiet gasps of pain as she shoved them aside. The crunch of gravel underneath her feet was the only sound throughout the entire square as she strode full of pride towards the stage. No one dared volunteer for Clove, not if they know what's good for them anyway. Even at a tiny 5'3, Clove was one of the most feared trainees throughout District 2. And that was just how she liked it. Her dark hair rippled down her back with her every step. Reaping Day, the only day of the year she will ever have it down. Taking two steps at a time, Clove marched into the center of the stage to glare over the perfect square of girls in which she had just appeared from. _Pathetic little rats._ She thought. _You're all careers for fuck sake! You're SUPPOSED to look eager to have a chance to enter the Games at least!_ She scowled especially at one girl on the front line, whose hands were shaking violently as they enveloped what looked to be a golden necklace. Clove thanked the skies above her; she prides herself on being one of the toughest, cruelest and skilled knife throwers in the whole of the District. On being fearless and ready for any opponent. She was one of the most well-known trainees in the entire District. No one could throw a knife like Clove could. Once, she through one with her back to the target and still hit the bulls-eye. Her escort sang out for any volunteers, but no one did. _Good._ She thought, another grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.  
"Cato Goldswoth!" The woman called out, after what seemed to be years of fishing her perfectly manicured hand through the bowl of Boy's Names. Clove's eyes widened, then narrowed again soon after with interest. She knew Cato. He had the same training hours at the center as she did. They even spoke now and again, but only about how immense their own skills were. He materialized from the back row, a smug look on his face as he examined each line of boys as he strode by. No one would volunteer for Cato either. Probably because they knew he'd do a better job than any of them in the Hunger Games. Or they were truly petrified of what he would do to them if they did. As he drew closer to Clove, he gave her an acknowledging nod before they shook hands.  
"Think she picked the perfect male tribute don't you?" He whispered, sending a joking wink behind the escort's back for Clove. She chuckled before shaking her head.  
"Don't flatter yourself, big man." She teased. He smiled.  
"I think the female tribute's a bit on the small side though." He gave her a playful nudge with his elbow, ironically, almost jabbing her neck. She scowled at him and marched forward.  
"At least she's got the brains." She snapped, ignoring his chortles of laughter behind her as Peacekeepers ushered them both into different rooms so families and friends could say goodbye. Clove raised her eyebrows and peered around the place. She'd never been in the Justice Building before, it wasn't half bad either. Her brow creased with frustration, there was no point keeping her in here, nobody was going to come. Not even her parents, no, they had much better things to be doing. Friends? Clove didn't have time for them. She'd rather lick the mud off the bottom of her boots than prance around the city linked arm in arm with plaits and pink ribbons in her hair, and giggling and fussing over clothes and boys and- A peacekeeper swings the door open, gesturing for her to leave.  
"Time's up." He mused as she strode past him, hoping she would 'accidently' tread on his foot in the kitten heels her mother had literally forced her feet into.  
"Waste of time, more like." Clove seethed, catching sight of Cato waving goodbye to a crowd of girls pushed out the front of the building by many Peacekeepers. She didn't know he was _that_ popular with women.  
"Keep moving!" She violently shoved him forward after almost smashing right into him as he stood waving at his fan club. He swiftly spun his upper body round, grabbed Clove around the waist – tolerating her harsh heels kicking into his face and chest, and her screaming, swearing and cursing at him –, lifting her round so she was in front of him, giving her an encouraging shove in the small of her back when she was dropped on the floor again.  
"Lead the way, Shorty." He mused. She glared into the back door that was looming towards her with every stride. Cato even had to grab her shoulder from time to time, preventing her from speeding up from her already powerful march towards the train.  
"Some would think you wanted to die at the rate you're going." Cato stated matter of factly.  
"I'm not going to die am I? I'm going to win." She countered, not turning to face him, instead she found a fruit bowl from the table and immediately grabbed an apple and started to carve tiny pieces off and taking them with her teeth off the point of a sharp kitchen knife she'd picked up along the way.  
"HAHAHA" Cato acted to be doubled over in hysterical laughter, before standing up properly and wiping an invisible tear from his eye.  
"What are you going to do to win, Shorty? You'd be a perfect ambush attack! No one would see you coming!" He exclaimed passing her and disappearing into his room. Even behind the door she could still hear him chuckling to himself, and reminding himself he's 'the funniest guy in District 2'. She rolled her eyes at him and spiked the knife in the table next to her, venturing off to find her own room. As she passed Cato's room, he barged out and almost took her with him.  
"C-Cato!" She screamed, clawing at his shirt and kicking his shins as he continued down towards the buffet cart.  
"Oh sorry, Shorty. Didn't see you there! Looking for your room?" He stands her upright and she brushed herself down, debating whether to kill him now or leave it until the games.  
"I was until _you _came along." She seethed. Her arms folded across her chest and glaring out the window as the train set off on the long journey to the Capitol.  
"Well, I'm sure the mice in that hole over there" He crouches to her level and almost presses his cheek to hers as he points in the direction of a mouse hole in the wall of the train. "Wouldn't mind sharing!" He howled, patting her back as he marched off.  
"I'd rather be small than a giant lug-head like you." She calls after him. Still her arms folded over her chest and grinning as he looks back over his shoulder. Not looking where he's going, he forgets the 'Mind Your Head' sign above the door, and his temple _clunks_ straight into it.  
"My point proven." Clove mutters, turning and striding down the hallway to find her room. When she does, she immediately whips off her Reaping Dress and into a much more _Clove_ attire; Black trousers and a combat green vest top. Leaving her shoes behind. When she returns to the buffet cart after some time in her room, Cato, Brutus their mentor, and the escort from the stage are delving into what looks like grilled salmon and salad. Clove realizes how hungry she was and throws herself into the empty seat beside Cato, grabbing her knife and fork and without a word, shoveling the plateful down her own throat.  
"Hungry?" The escort giggles. Clove grunts and decides to ignore her for the rest of the trip. Even though it is her own district that completely dotes on the Capitol crowd – Clove herself, cannot stand them. She cringes as Clove greedily shoves food in her mouth. When she notices she's being watched by the gaudy yellow face with far too much make-up, Clove purposely churns the food up in her mouth and chews with her mouth wide open.  
"Problem?" She scoffs, wiping her hands on the table cloth, she glares over the table at the woman, boring two holes into her face with her dark doe eyes.  
"O-of course not." She trails off, politely giving her own plate a gentle shove into the center of the table.  
"Good." Clove abruptly gets up from the table and vanishes back into her room.  
"She grows on you." She can hear Cato say as she slams the door to contradict it. Hours later, Clove finds herself the only one awake. As the moonlight streams in and over her bed, she silently stares out of the window as District 2 disappears, and the Capitol begins.

Due to her late night, she is the last to wake the next day, and still in her night clothes and messy hair, she ponders into the living area, to find Cato in the same way.  
"Bad night?" He doesn't look up from a magazine he's found, she nods anyway, dipping down to a cupboard filled with glasses and mugs. She fishes a mug out and shoves it into a waiter's chest.  
"Hot chocolate. Now." And he vanishes through to the kitchen, where she never has to go. She throws herself boyishly across the sofa across from Cato, causing him to peer over the magazine at her, before saving his page and chucking it on the floor by his feet.  
"You know, I've never quite met a girl like you." He states. Clove smiles, proud she's not a flimsy, faddy made-up girl who stresses if her hair falls out of place, or if there's a spider crawling along the wall.  
"Proud of it and all." She replies, closing her eyes and folding her arms behind her head as a cushion.  
"Which is why I think you would be useful to me in the arena." He continues, kicking his own legs up on the couch he's on against the window. Cloves eyes widen and flash towards him. Propping herself up on one elbow, she lets a genuine smile cross her lips.  
"What? Like allies?" She asks, allowing her voice high at the end of the sentence. Cato looks over and nods, before snapping his head back to his nails, smugly checking each one over in front of his face.  
"Only if you're up to it." He sighs, as if Clove wasn't up for anything! He said it himself; she's not like any other girl. She raises her eyebrows and slowly lets herself fall back onto her arms again, her eyes closed and a faint smile dancing on her lips.  
"I guess I am, you'd probably need me anyway. With your lack of knowhow and huge temper, you wouldn't even manage the 60 seconds on the podium before the games have even begun, let alone survive in the arena." She trails off at the end, slowly opening her own eyes to see Cato glaring at her from across the room.  
"At least I can get off my podium in time, you'd have to hike down the side, a leap off could possibly mean certain death for a tribute who is vertically challenged, like you." He counters. Clove abruptly sits up right and glares over at him.  
"Quit with the small jokes!" She snaps, sending them both into gradual laughter, in no time at all, they are both howling and hooting with laughter, gripping the stitches in the pit of their belly, unable to stop. After minutes of constant laughter, Clove finally manages to calm herself down. She hasn't laughed like this in a long time, if ever. Maybe Cato wasn't that bad, and despite was she'd said moments ago, he could prove useful in the arena as an ally. As they both regain the steady breathing, Bonnie – Clove had picked up the escorts name from idle chatter she'd heard after she left the table last night – lets out an ungodly gasp like someone had sucked all the air from her lungs at the sight of the District 2 tributes wallowing in their night clothes and unwashed laid on their backs.  
"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"_ She hisses, "You're at the _CAPITOL_ in a few hours! _LOOK AT THE STATE OF YOU." _She then ushers us into our different rooms as if we were naked. Where I met my stylist, Piper. She was fairly dolled up, with her fuchsia pink hair styled like a giant ribbon on her head and sky blue and summer yellow eye shadow over her forehead. But apart from her ghastly fashion sense, Clove somewhat liked her.  
"Hello!" She piped, gesturing Clove to enter her own room.  
"Hi." Clove was caught off guard by Piper's higher spirit. Piper spun Clove round so her back was facing her and the window and pushed her shoulders down to sit in the chair situated in the center of the room. Clove blocked out Piper's and Bonnie's conversation about pet pigs and snake venom perfume, and examined the once bleak and empty dressing table, now filled with make-up boxes – no, make-up _crates_ and piled high with hair remedies and fake things. She even caught her own reflection in the mirror._ Piper better get working, I can't see THAT getting any better before the Capitol._  
"Make her B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L!" Bonnie squealed, before disappearing out of sight down the corridor.  
"Well, Clove," Piper began running her fingers through my hair. "All I am going to do, is give you a fresh faced look today, and maybe stick a remedy on your hair to make it shiny, but natural. What do you think?" Her Capitol accent swallowed most of her words up, but Clove managed to understand 'fresh' and 'remedy'. She could only hope Piper wasn't planning on making her another Capitol freak show, but politely replied.  
"Go ahead." As piper worked away on her hair, Clove wondered how Cato was doing, what they were planning on doing to him. Suddenly, a swarm of angry butterflies dived from one corner of her belly to this one. Cato. Cato. Every time she thought of him, they plunged more furiously around her stomach, almost to the point of making her feel sick. She felt her cheeks flush bright red, was this true? Could she _like_ Cato? In that way? Clove shook the thought off, angry with her and refused to think about him any longer. Instead, bracing her for the long beauty regimes to come. _This is going to be a lo-ong ride to the Capitol. _She felt Piper tug at her head, turning it this way and that, slowly aggravating Clove to the point she was fantasizing about Piper being in the Hunger Games with her…


	2. Chapter 2

2

"We're hereee!" Bonnie shrilled from one side of the train, echoing herself throughout each carriage. It had been over two hours since Piper had begun on Clove, and when she first looked in the mirror, she was almost thankful for the hard work. But she wasn't going to show it.  
"You like?" Piper giggled, beaming at Clove and almost wanting her to jump up and down like a hare, squealing with her. Clove examined her hair in the mirror, it had been French braided at both sides, which lead to a long, sleek pony-tail that dropped just at the curve in her spine. Her face seemed brighter and more awake than earlier. And the clothes they'd fitted her in weren't half bad either.  
"It'll do." She strode out the room, cringing after feeling the backlash of her own words. Soon shaking the guilt off her back and leaving it in the carriage behind her. Joining Cato at the door, she managed to notice that his hair looked like it had been washed and he looked also a lot neater than the morning.  
"Looking good, Shorty." He nodded in approval as she stood beside him. She remained silent, glaring through the window opposite her face as crowds of screaming Capitol women and men pressed up against the barriers that Peacekeepers maintained. As the train finally stopped, Clove mustered one of her most defying glares she could, knowing Cato would be doing the same to wait for the door to whip open.  
"Brace yourself, Kids. They can get a bit eager." Brutus was close behind the tributes also with Bonnie, Piper and Fleur – Cato's stylist. Clove ignored him, totally under-estimating the crowds until the doors opened. As she stepped down onto the platform, she wavered slightly at the utter force these people were screaming at, lunging at them over the barriers and even some where trying to distract Peacekeepers so that others could hop the barrier.  
"Must be living hell. Poor guys." Clove managed to pick up Cato's voice as he gestured to a clan of Peacekeepers whose helmets and shoulders were being crushed by the people who dared try leaping frog over them. She even felt a tiny giggle escaper her lips. Was this truly how he made her feel? She turned to speak to him, but instead got a face-full of forearm. Christ, this guy was tall. Clove was ushered through secret hallways with Cato and her prep-team on her heels. A man with hideous green waves splashes around his face as he jogged to keep up told Brutus that they would be sharing a lift with the other career district. District 1. Clove had learnt about the District in her History lessons at school. It had manufactured luxurious items for it and the Capitol since the Dark Days. And each and every one of its subjects drowned themselves in jewels, silks and many other glorious things. Clove frowned at the idea of these spoilt children taking part in such a brutal game, somehow it seemed to her – it wasn't fair. She led her pack of helpers and Cato towards the lift, imagining all sorts of different ideas of what these tributes would look like. What they would BE like. Would she like them? Or would her hate for petty and flamboyant people overcome her? Either way, she was going to kill them in the end.  
"Does this corridor ever fucking end?" She growled, marching ahead for more than ten strides, before a menacing chuckle caught her attention.  
"Temper, temper!" The boy closed his eyes and laughed hard at her. She scowled and held back what she truly thought of his jewel encrusted district.  
"Oh, have you gone in a mood with me? Oh, that certainly won't do!" He strode over to her and snaked an arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest.  
"Oo, Clove you've found a friend." Cato mused as he and the rest of the prep team strode ahead without a second glace. The way this boy had hold of her had her arms like wooden boards by her sides as he looked down on her with his dazzling blue eyes. She held still for a second totally enthralled by the way they glittered and shone like diamonds above her.  
"Let. Me. GO!" She screeched. But he didn't release his grip. Instead he pulled her even closer and backed her up against the wall away from any type of escape.  
"Clove? That's a _great_ name." He seductively whispered in her ear. "I'm Marvel." He smiled a pearly grin at her. His nose not even a centimeter away from her eyes. His chest was pressed up against hers and she couldn't even squirm free.  
"Well, MARVEL. Would you so kindly, PISS OFF." She screamed straight in his face, but it didn't seem to work, he just laughed and zoned in closer.  
"I think you're cute." He whispered, his gentle voice lost in her ear, as his lips pressed gently over and over again down from her ear, down her neck, and to her collarbone.  
"And I think you're a FREAK!" She managed; she wasn't going to let him think he had the better of her. She caught sight of Cato chatting to that girl from Marvel's district, how _dare _he not come and help! Cato caught her eyes and flashed her a grin, almost enjoying the fact that she was under attack from Marvel. She scowled at Cato, thanking him for all the help he hasn't bothered to give. Clove hadn't ever come this close to contact with a boy before; she had just never had the time. But stood here, virtually being raped by a boy she was going to have to kill in just more than a week wasn't the way she was planning it.  
"C'mon Clove, play nice…" He lifted a strand of hair from her face and stared adorningly into her seething chocolate eyes. No! No! NO! She screamed at herself in her brain whilst she glared into Marvel's eyes. She kicked, she squirmed and she fought as hard as she could, but maybe she had underestimated this guy. She relaxed her shoulders and sighed in defeat. But Marvel didn't release his grip. There was only one way out of this… Before her brain could declare otherwise, Clove gripped Marvel's collar in her iron fist and forced her lips upon his. At first she could feel his body tense, but then relax, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. A fire surged and lapped itself in Clove's brain, radiating heat waves throughout her body. She'd never known kissing a boy would feel like, like, _this._ Especially one from another district. _My first kiss,_ she thought to herself, smiling in fact. Smiling into Marvel's lips. Suddenly, Clove could feel Marvel kissing back, twice as fierce as she had been. His arms had enveloped her body entirely, and were pulling her even closer than she already was. His tongue fought its way through her lips and explored every nook of her mouth, leaving no area untouched. Clove was clueless and even opened her eyes to see his so close, but so closed. Soon after, the godly _ping_ of the lift jolted them both and Clove finally fought herself at least six inches from him.  
"Can I go now?" She was startled by the playful twist on her own words, and a tiny smile elevated her lips.  
"I suppose." Marvel released his grip at last, Clove then eagerly sprang away, marching towards the lift which held two prep teams, Cato and a very flirtatious Blondie who had wrapped herself in Cato's arms. She was at most ten meters from the lift when she acknowledged the sly grin on Cato's face that showed no remorse when he pressed the button and the doors began to close. Her mouth dropped open as she leapt forward to catch the button, but the elevator had already gone. Marvel's hands soon reminded her she wasn't alone. Close up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and over her stomach. Clove still glared up to where the lift had disappeared to when his voice hummed in her ears.  
"Just the two of us, again." It dawned on Clove that the hall way was empty, and there was no sign of any Peacekeeper or even the roar of the crowd outside. They were totally alone.  
"I gave you a kiss!" Clove cried in despair, trying to worm her way out of his grasp and towards the buttons that manned the lift.  
"If you keep trying to escape me, how do you think I will let you go?" He whispered. She ignored him, there was nothing he could really do apart from hold onto her whilst she figured out the controls, so she carried on fighting him, ignoring all his comments and seductive manor until he spoke loud enough again.  
"Right, you leave me with no choice." He sang, and without even hesitating, he hoisted Clove's whole body over his shoulder, and began to carry her off away from the lift. He whistled to himself whilst her head dangled over his back, screaming all sorts of curses, swearing and the occasional fist to his back.  
"MARVEL" She screamed, her voice getting higher at the end of his name. But he carried on whistling and playing with the skin tight trousers she had been given to wear to the Capitol. Her thigh was resting on his shoulders as he carried her and he even kissed it once or twice.  
"Where are you taking me?" She scowled into his backside, and quickly averted her eyes.  
"You'll see." He replied. It was as if he knew the place like the back of his hand. He wormed through corridors, upstairs and through so many doors. Until he finally released her and set her to her feet. After bawling at him for more than a minute, she was silenced by the very distinct breeze raking it's fingers through her flesh. She slowly turned; her eyes on the tiles whilst she shuffled her feet round. When she lifted her gaze, her breath was taken away. The horizon was hidden by thousands of huge glass buildings, almost appearing black in the very late light. People's voices far, far below her screamed about the arrival of the tributes, and celebrated on the streets. She turned her head very slowly to all the beautiful plants dotting the floor, different shades of red, pink and purple everywhere. A creeper with beautiful white flowers had grown up the side of the small wall and disappeared over the other side. Clove crept forward on the balls of her feet and peered over the side.  
"OOH God!" She staggered back into Marvel's chest, who seemed to have crept forward with her. She fell back into him and even wrapped her arms desperately around his back. Her breathing was heavy over the sound of Marvel chuckling to himself, and using this opportunity to hold her as tight as he could and as close as he could.  
"We're on the roof." She whispered. Staggering back a few more steps. Marvel scooped her up bridal style and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his neck.  
"That's right Clove, BYE BYE." Suddenly, he then swung her straight from his clasp and into the air beside the building. Screaming, wailing and swearing, Clove felt herself drop into the pitch blackness below, imagining what people would think when her remains almost crushes them from this height. The last thing she saw was Marvel's cheeky face and him waving her down, before some kind of shield blocked her from falling anymore, and like a hot potato, threw her back into Marvel's arms on top of the roof. They both landed with a clatter in a heap on the floor. Clove regained herself and rolled them both over so she had Marvel trapped beneath her.  
"YOU! You fucking IDIOT! What were you trying to DO? YOU'RE SICK. I could have DIED! IF THAT FORCE FIELD WASN'T THERE-"  
"But it was." She was cut off by his counter. He smiled up at her with big blue eyes.  
"I didn't think you liked to get this close, Clo." He whispered, framing her arms with his hands watching them as he worked. Clove realized she was practically laid over him as she was screaming, her face inches from his. She froze, staring into his face, watching his lips part, watching his nostrils move as he breathed, his eyes as they watched hers. One of his hands had found its way to the small of her back, tracing her spine so carefully with two fingers until he reached her hair. He rested his palm on top of the braids and smiled, closing his eyes and leaning up. Resistively, she shot up and sat on his hips, her knees cold on the concrete either side of him. He leant up on his elbows. Clove had hers crossed over her chest, fighting the smile that so desperately wanted to show. Marvel. Marvel. Marvel. She still got the same buzz as she did when she recited Cato's name in her brain – but that could be because of the way they're both positioned. It was strange, this guy had kidnapped her from her prep team, taken her to the roof, thrown her OFF the roof, and yet, she was attracted to him. Warmth in her heart that spread even more every time she thought of him. Love? It couldn't be. She hasn't known him a day yet. Or could it? Maybe she could play him at his own game. If she knew how, with only hours of experience.  
"I didn't" She unfolded her arms and placed each hand in front of each knee. A seductive smile crept along her lips.  
"Until now." Marvel finished her sentence for her and leaned in again, only this time she didn't move. The same flames egnighted inside of her, only they seemed stronger than before, almost as if it were Marvel causing them. It probably was. It wasn't the kiss, it was Marvel. An abrupt cough broke them apart. Clove snapped her head up, angry that someone would so rudely interrupt, when her face fell.  
"Now, what, do you, think you are doing." It wasn't a question. Brutus had his muscular arms folded across his chest, his dark eyebrows raised in what seemed to be amusement. Marvel quickly whipped his hands from where they were resting on Clove's hips, having to make do with watching Brutus upside down. Clove flushed red and gave Marvel a wary look before getting to her feet, he followed soon after.  
"I want you, downstairs. In five minutes. No excuses. No delays." He eyed Marvel on 'no delays' and disappeared from sight and marched down the corridor. When he was safely out of earshot, the pair peered over at each other and erupted into waves of laughter.  
"Oh, so that's where you were hiding!" A high pitched voice came from the same doorway; Clove narrowed her eyes at the same blonde who was swooning over Cato. Marvel shook his head and wrapped one arm around Clove.  
"Oh hey Glimmer, this is Clove. We were, erm, checking out the scenery! It's beautiful isn't it?" He his free hand over the sky, making Glimmer giggle. _Glimmer? GLIMMER?_ _What sort of a name is that?_ Clove seethed in her mind, before loosely freeing herself from Marvel's arm.  
"I better be going, Brutus wanted me back, like, ten minutes ago…" Her sentence trailed off. She rubbed her left forearm nervously as she held Marvel's gaze in her own way of saying goodbye. Her peppy smile soon faded once she had gotten at least five meters down the hall. Glimmer, was beautiful. Her silky golden waves and emerald orbs were captivating, intimidating even. When she heard Marvel's howling laughter and Glimmer screeching until her sides would split, she decided it would be slightly awkward walking in front of that for the entire way back. Picking up a gentle, steady jog, Clove recapped over today's events. How she had come to the Capitol knowing nobody, yet running from the guy she made out with on the roof? She remembered the route Marvel had taken her, but it took her a while since the last time she was down here, she was upside down. Finally, relieved Clove reached the lift, slamming her fist down hard on the control pad before her.  
"Watch it! That is expensive equip-"  
"Shut up" Clove barked, the Peacekeeper watched her for a short while, before carrying on his patrol through the corridors. Clove _hated_ heights. The lift protruded right out of the side of the building, with crystal clear flooring and walls, she squeezed her eyes shut the entire journey, pleading with herself that she hadn't pressed the wrong button, therefore taking a longer journey up the wall. When the door _ping_ed open, she dived into 2's living quarters, where Cato was laid out on the couch like he was on the train this morning, shoveling potato chips down his throat.  
"Now _where_ did you go?" His head rolled back onto the arm of the chair, his aqua blue eyes burning a hole in her head.  
"You don't wanna know." She brushed him off, making a beeline for the female tribute bedroom. Ripping her boots off she dived onto the bed. Burrowing her face into the many scarlet pillows that decorated it. Why did she feel so, so, _intimidated_ by Glimmer? Was it her appearance, her beauty? Or was it the way she acted around Marvel and Cato with such _ease_? It wasn't long before Cato found his way to be sitting at the edge of her bed, the chips still in his hand.  
"What's happened." He mused, if he truly cared and was interested in how Clove felt, he was doing a pretty crap job of it.  
"I met Glimmer." There was no point lying to him, he would have found out through that girl some day or another.  
"Gorgeous isn't she." The same emotionless drone poured from his mouth, as if he really were trying to taunt Clove.  
"Yup." She sighed, only to hold herself in again. Cato lifted himself from the bed and wandered over to the ebony wood wardrobe, swinging the doors open and filing through Clove's dresses.  
"What are you doing going through my clothes."  
"Finding a nice one."  
"And why's that."  
"Because we're having dinner with District One tonight." Clove dug her face under the pillows once more, before leaping up and shoving Cato away from peering in the underwear drawer underneath.  
"Just finding something easy to rip off." Clove was stunned, her eyes were wide and her mouth dropped open slightly.  
"I beg your pardon!" She squeaked, her foot stamping on the wooden floor and her arms straight out against her sides. Cato grinned menacingly over his shoulder with a mouthful of potato chips.  
"Well, do you think Marvel will want to keep his hands to himself tonight?" Were his last words before he himself went to get changed. Leaving Clove in her own room, she turned her head downwards towards the drawer, only seeing silk and brightly colored frills. And small things… She furiously slammed the drawer closed with her foot. She turned her attention to the wardrobe again. She needed a dress. A gorgeous one. At the sound of the wardrobe opening again, Cato's head peered into her room.  
"Remember, a nice one."


	3. Chapter 3

"Shut up you fucking idiot!" Clove barked, but Cato only winked and slid back into his room, closing the door behind him. She flicked back to the evening dresses and rived out the first one to eye. _Give it a try_. Her conscience persuaded her. She stripped off to her underwear and slid into the dress. A figure hugging blood red boob-tube with corset fastening at the back. No. No. No. No. She struggled back out of it and threw it onto its own pile in the center of the room. For hours she took out each and every dress, tried it on, and then threw it onto the growing pile of unfolded dresses, when there was only one left. It was just what she wanted. From the waist up was basically two dark green silky pieces of fabric on both her back and chest, held in place by five intertwining strips of fabric with diamonds lined down them which wrapped around her waist and disappeared in the skirt, exposing the whole of her sides down to her hips, where the two fabrics join together to create the same green flowing skirt that hid her feet. She was defiantly not wearing shoes at this rate. The dress gave her new found confidence; it made her body look, _fantastic._ Yes, defiantly this one. Then Cato's words played back in her mind, "_Just looking for something easy to rip off"_ Underwear. She dived down to the drawer and wrenched it open. Clove dug around in the satin mass until she found a matching underwear set of the perfect color. Grimacing at the tiny set, she pulled her disgusted face as she slithered into them. Her hair. After seeing District 12 Katniss Everdeen's famous braid, she grew jealous, and without Piper, began to tug at her own hair. When she had finally finished, she examined the braid carefully in her own hair, it reached from her left ear and finished somewhere near her right waist. Now all she needed was Piper.  
"I'm here Clove! I'm her-"Piper burst into the room and cut short at the sight of Clove. Tears welled in her eyes and Clove groaned at the reminder that all the Capitol was sensitive crybabies. She burst into tears and glided over.  
"You look so beautiful!" She managed, through each gap in a wail.  
"Yes I know, could you quit crying and get on with my make-up please?" Clove rolled her eyes sarcastically at Piper, who immediately composed herself and began to work on Clove's face. After around 15 minutes, Cato popped his head around the door.  
"Wow, Marvel will sure like that. Have you remembered the underwear?"  
"Yes." She mused, closing her eyes and allowing Piper to dust her eyelids in jet black eye shadow. Topping it with seductive dark red lipstick.  
"Ready?" Cato, who had been lounged across Clove's bed in his suit waiting for the signal to go, finally got up and brushed down the suit, Clove carefully stood and made for the door.  
"Clove?" Cato began, "Have you thought about wearing shoes?" Clove's shoulders slumped as she spun round on her bare heel to face Cato, who was holding up some black heels, if she wore these, she still wouldn't be as tall as the others! Clove grunted and snatched them off him, holding onto his elbow for balance whilst she slipped into them. Brutus, out of nowhere walked straight in, fastening his sea blue tie as they made a mass exodus towards the lift. The dark green contrasted so much with her pale skin, almost unbalancing herself whilst she examined this.  
"Do you think it's too much?" She creased her brow in despair up at Brutus, who in return, gave her a knowing smile.  
"I think it's perfect." He murmured softly. He always knew what to say. Smiling, Clove set her shoulders back and straightened her back, ready for the lift doors to _ping_ open. When they did, Cato held out his arm for Clove to balance herself on whilst they stepped in the District One's quarters. A quick look around the living area told Clove that it was very different from their own. The wall that housed the fire place was encrusted with dazzling jewels, whilst every other wall was a dark sea blue. The wooden floor was decorated with polar bear skins, Clove was careful not to trip over the head, which was unnervingly staring right at her.  
"Cashmere! We have arrived!" Brutus called out playfully. Cato and Clove looked at each other in an instant with smiles on their faces. Since when was _Brutus_ playful? At the immediate of his voice, a woman with golden hair just like Glimmer strode through from what seemed to be a balcony. With her arms open, she embraced each of them, complimenting their stylists. From behind her, Clove saw Marvel gawking at her. No, gawking at the dress. She pulled her arm back so the full décor along her sides was on show. He moved closer, his blue suit rippling as he did so. As Cato departed for Glimmer, Clove decided to home in on Marvel, moving as he did towards her.  
"You look…" He was lost for words as his hands found her waist and pulled her pelvis to meet his.  
"And you look… Oh what's the word?" Tilted her head on a side playfully, looking up into the ceiling. "Marvelous." She whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Marvel's face lit up at her pun, laughing himself and pressing his forehead down on hers. His eyes closed and his lips zoned in on hers.  
"PLEASE, don't put us off dinner!" Glimmer chuckled, sending a joking nudge with her elbow into the curve in Clove's spine, forcing her into Marvel anyway. As she followed Glimmer with her black eyes, she realized the food was already piling up on the table.  
"Come on, Clo. There's enough time for eating _later."_ He outstretched her hand and guided her along the carpeted path towards three doors, one of which probably his.  
"AH AH AH! Don't think you can creep off before dinner, Marvel! The poor girl must be famished!" Cashmere gestured to the empty spaces along the table. With one arm around Clove, Marvel hid his slender fingers underneath the fabric on her front, hugging the curve of her waist until they sat down. Plates piled high with food were placed by the Avox children in front of Clove. Marvel's hand was resting on her thigh, drawing delicate patterns with one finger along the silk.  
"Cato, pass me the salt." Clove ordered, not looking up from her plate.  
"_Please._" Glimmer insisted, clutching onto Cato's left arm with both of hers. Clove looked from Glimmer to Cato and her eyes narrowed as Cato's eyebrows raised, grinning across the table at her with the salt in his hand.  
"PLEEEASE!" She whined sarcastically. Cato then threw the salt threw the air and it landed perfectly steady in the palm of her hand. Glimmer squealed and praised him for his 'supreme talents' as Clove sprinkled it over the roast chicken and garnish. Brutus and Cashmere were privately speaking at the end of the table. They had been past victors themselves and now it was their job to guide the tributes from their districts as mentors to share the same fate. Course after course drifted through from the kitchen, and many bottles of wine disappeared. Clove was busy delving into the desert when Marvel drew close and whispered in her ear.  
"Let's go." He gently bit the top of her ear. Clove sat back in the chair, bloated and full, this was no time to play sexy and seductive with Marvel, but yet, she didn't resist. Cato and Glimmer had already vanished from the table somewhere that Clove couldn't care less, making it a much lighter guilt as she departed hand in hand with Marvel. His hand found the same loose fabric as before and ran his fingers along her waist. Leading her to the balcony, he shut the door behind them. Whilst he battled with the curtains to stay inside the door, Clove found one of his spears propped up against the railing. He swore and cursed behind her, as she tossed it from hand to hand to feel the weight of it. Marvel spun around to see her pointing the head right at him, an evil grimace across her face.  
"Bow." She acted playfully. He held his hands above his head and dropped to his knees, bowing.  
"All hail Clove, Goddess of Marvel's Spear." He chanted, making her giggle. He winked as she set the spear back where she found it, turning her back on him to watch over the bustling city, even though it was almost midnight. In no more than a second, did it take for him to be back on his feet and close behind her, his arms around her stomach and his chin resting on her shoulder. Clove closed her eyes, and leant her head into his cheek. They stayed in silence for a while, not one spoke a word. Many things were rushing through their minds, but non dared say anything. When without any indication or warning, Marvel harshly spins her around and forces a kiss onto her lips. Regaining her balance once again, she wraps her arms around his neck and brushes her fingers through his fair curls affectionately. Clove took one step back into the rail, with Marvel following her, his hand placed gently on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. Perhaps she'd misjudged Marvel. Perhaps, she'd misjudged herself, convinced she didn't hold any feelings for him when, she did. She let out a huge sigh, as if admitting it to herself had lifted a weight off her shoulders. _I love _Marvel. The words made her feel funny inside. She pictured him smiling at her in the arena, spear in hand and wearing his arena attire. She smiled, it almost seemed like a memory, which it obviously wasn't. But she liked the idea of memories, memories with Marvel. She pictured what her life would have been like if she lived in 1 with him, it was almost, happy. She pictured spending her lifetime with him, planning out the future and picturing them both together in her head. She let a single laugh escape through her nose, she would love to have lived that life. Clove feels a stabbing pain inside, knowing that she could never stay like this forever, no matter how much she wished. Because in two weeks, it was the Hunger Games. And one way or another, Marvel would have to die if she ever wanted to fulfill her dream of one day becoming a victor. She opened her eyes to see Marvel's half-open gazing right back at her. She pulls away and burrows her head into his chest, silently promising she will stay until the end.  
"Be mine." He whispered, his hands clamped around her. Clove didn't move, didn't open her eyes. She knew what he wanted, and she knew what she, herself wanted. Instead she clung tighter to him and fought back the tears. She didn't reply; she didn't have to. Marvel knew the answer from the moment she tightened her grip._ Forever_. She sang in her head.  
"Clove? We have to go." Brutus was stood with half of his body through the open door. Marvel was the first to lift his head, and began to step back, but Clove wouldn't unlock her grip. Instead, Marvel scooped her up once again and swiftly passed Brutus over to the lift, where he gently set her to her feet. He backed up to stand beside Cashmere as she waved them off, and just as the lift began to excel, Clove caught the words Marvel had mouthed. 'Stay awake'. Butterflies flourished in her stomach. Cato bent down and his brow had creased in confusion.  
"What are you smiling at, Shorty?" He murmured. She shook her head and passed by him when the doors opened, headed straight for her room. Piper had vanished and so was the untidy pile of dresses in the center of the room. It was up to Clove to wipe away the make-up. She viciously scrubbed at it until it was nowhere to be seen and her face was bright red. Her rushed fingers didn't take a minute in whipping out her braid. The dress was difficult though, the strips of ribbon holding the entire thing together refused to come loose. Kicking off the heels, she sat impatiently on her bed whilst the ribbons knotted even more.  
"Need some help with that?" A familiar voice muttered from the open balcony door. Clove smiled, even with her back to the figure, she knew who it was. Letting her arms drop to her sides, she heard the scuffing of boots across the wood towards her. Cold fingers carefully worked away at the ribbons, occasionally skimming her waist. Clove inhaled his sweet scent, mixed with the cold air outside. Finally the hands drew away and the dress dangerously dangled from her shoulders, threatening to reveal everything to him. He chuckled from behind her, he kissed her neck.  
"I won't peep." Marvel then scooted to the other side of the room, sarcastically covering his eyes with his hands.  
"Good enough for me." Clove skipped over to the drawer with her night clothes in. Without even checking what it was, she whipped out an oversized t-shirt and pondered over to the distant corner of the room. Too tired to care, she let the dress fall from her shoulders and down to her ankles. Snuggling in the warmth of the t-shirt, she soon turned to find Marvel's coat slung on her bed and he was stood there in a t-shirt of his own –only it fitted- and some dark trousers. Clove watched him in the twilight, from here she could just make out the traces of his chest underneath his shirt, and his secure arms bare for her to easily make out. His eyes even seemed to glow in the dark, watching her from his spot at the corner of the bed.  
"Can I kiss you?"  
"Since when have you asked before?"  
"Point taken." And there he was, swooping over and lifting her off the floor. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands caressing his jawbone. He held her waist and refused to let go, even when she unlocked her grip and slid to the floor. Silently and emotionlessly Clove stumbled in the darkness towards the bed, burrowing herself within the covers.  
"Can I stay here?"  
"No." But nothing she said was going to change what he did next. She heard the _clunk_ of heavy boots bounce along the floor and distinct shuffling. Before she knew it, Marvel had also dived into the covers, with only his trousers on. Clove tightened the ball she had laid in when his arm snaked her closer.  
"Get out."  
"No." He challenged, settling his head down on the pillows, "These pillows are much nicer that mine."  
"Why are you such a dick."  
"Why are you so small."  
"It's genetic."  
"It's you." For some reason, Clove didn't react to him unfolding her from the ball she had formed and she obediently lay beside him. Giggling from the other side of the door suggested that Marvel wasn't the only visitor to District 2's floor tonight. That relaxed Clove slightly, to know that she wasn't the only one breaking the rules. She let her arm slip around his torso, rising with it every time he inhaled. Cold fingers on her back made her open her eyes. He shifted her entire body so she was lying on top of him. She hummed viciously in response but took no physical action. Opening her eyes she traced his collarbone with one finger. Marvel locked her there, his heels on top of hers as he played with a lock of her now wavy hair. He planted a soft kiss her head, and that was the last thing she remembered before drifting off into a deep sleep.

The next morning, it was Clove to wake up first, still lying with Marvel, she shifted round onto her belly, to realize that the shirt from last night was in a pile at the end of the bed. _That bastard_. She leant forward and grabbed it once again, slinging it over herself, she worked around the sleeping Marvel, and cleared his top, socks, coat, boots and trousers_ Since when did he take THOSE off?_ And folded them neatly in a pyramid by the balcony door. Marvel rolled and fidgeted in his sleep as she brushed her teeth in the bathroom. The mirror on the opposite wall reflected him tossing and turning in the very early morning light. As she was about to clamber back into his arms, her stomach let out an almighty growl. Jumping back onto the floor, she clutched it in the hope it would quiet down and not wake him up. _Food._ It was too early to order an Avox, so Clove ventured out into the hallway. Cato's door was slightly open, and inside she could see two figures in the bed, probably naked. She cringed and moved on towards the kitchen when two voices halted her.  
"Maybe we should hold him back just a tad. She's probably getting suspicious of it by now." It was clearly Brutus. And the other voice Cashmere. She peered around the corner to find them with mugs of hot drink and their backs to her.  
"Hardly! She dotes on that boy! I think he's doing pretty good if you ask me, this is Clove we're talking about and it's a hard task to get by her." Cashmere countered. Clove felt an icy chill drag down her spine at the very mention of her name. What could they be talking about? Marvel? Do they know he spent the night?  
"Yes I know that." Brutus raised his voice defensively. "But we assigned him to get to know her to use her as an ally, not a lover! She's only going to get hurt." Brutus on defense. But the words rattled through every bone, shaking it out of place and then moving on to the next. Her hands balled into fists and her whole body began to shake. _He's been using me… He's been using me so I would be his ally…_ The words echoed in her head as she took a step backwards towards her room. _I'm going to kill him._


	4. Chapter 4

How could he. _How could he._ She cupped her face in her hands, backing up against the wall and sliding down to the floor. _They've made a fool of me. He's made a fool of me. _Her eyes stung red and her cheeks began to match as she silently listened to the rest of the subject, before moving on to something less concerning. Clove drew her shaking hands from her face. They were empty back abysses staring into the floor. She turned to face her open door, to see him still peacefully asleep. Her brow creased furiously and she dived up off the floor, marching bare footed back into her room, and silently closing the door behind her.  
"Okay, Clove. Calm. Just get him out and _then _you can destroy the place." She whispered to herself. As her own words sunk in, she tip-toed to the side of the bed, this was going to need all of her acting skills. Carefully clambering over him, she rested both knees in the soft bedding at either side of him, gently shaking his shoulders to wake him.  
"Marvel, Marvel." She whispered, he eventually came around and dozily smiled into her eyes. _No, don't let this get you, just carry on._ She thought to herself, as she smiled back into his. Still sat on him, Clove leant down and pressed her lips to his ear. He used both his hands to push her down closer, and not to arouse suspicion, she let him.  
"Cashmere is looking for you; you better get back down to your room before she finds you here." She whispers softly into his ear. He groans and tilts her chin toward him and plants kisses from her collar bone, up her neck and over to her lips, where she must kiss him back. She pulls back and sits away from him, allowing him to get dressed properly. Turns he ended up sleeping with just his underwear on. Clove makes sneaky glances at the door to back her story up, and fortunately, Cashmere was making a point about her little Marvel and called his name pleasingly loud. His head shot towards the door, he quickly laid a kiss on her cheek, before leaping from Clove's balcony onto his own. She sat still for a while, the shaking had returned and her eyes were puffy again. Had she been the only one that this has been hidden from? She had only to find out. Seething, growling, burning up, she shuffled off the bed and marched straight into Cato's room. He was sat up slightly with the top of his chest showing above the covers, he was resting his cheek against Glimmer's head, who was huddled into one open arm at his side. They were both naked.  
"Cato." She snapped with such urgency, that Glimmer and her lover boy both jolted at the sound. Glimmer being Glimmer, squealed and hid from her nose down underneath the covers, even though nothing was on show. Cato had to squint for a second, which soon turned into a scowl.  
"What the fuck are you doing, prick. You'll get Brutus in here!" He hissed, sitting up slightly whilst Glimmer buried even deeper into him.  
"Did you know." Cloves voice was shaky, and her fists were so tight that her knuckles turned white. Cato must have picked up on her manor because his voice softened.  
"What? What are you talking about?" He leant forward, ignoring Glimmer completely.  
"Did you know about Marvel." Clove seethed, her eyes fixated on the beautiful carvings on the foot of the bed, tears began to drip from her eyes and splash out on his marble floor.  
"Well you did a pretty bad job of hiding it." Cato almost laughed. Clove squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. Cato sat back and lifted the covers to find something. After a whole lot of wriggling, he appeared from the covers with some pajama trousers on. He was at my side now, he angled my body to face him, away from the bed.  
"No, I don't mean that. Did you know, did Brutus tell you that it was all an act." She edged around the point at far as she could, thankfully, Cato got her straight away. His shoulders relaxed and he paced slightly.  
"Look this wasn't meant to hurt you-"  
"Why didn't you tell me!" She cried, slapping the hand away he went to comfort her with. There was a shuffle from the living arena and then heavy footsteps running towards the room. Cashmere and Brutus burst in. Clove spun round, the sight of them both disgusted her, and she barged straight through the middle of them. Slamming her door behind her, she could still hear the conversation from Cato's room.  
"How did she find out!" Brutus exclaimed in despair, it was funny, it almost seemed as if he cared about what she'd think of him afterwards rather than if he'd hurt her or not.  
"I didn't tell her if that's what you're saying!" Cato bellowed. Clove zoned out of listening by that point. She'd found the neat pile of training gear that Piper had folded into a drawer for her, she dragged them on, braided her hair like the night before, hauled on her boots and stormed from the room, bee-lining for the lift. Before she could press the button, Brutus was on her like a ton of bricks. He held her back and tried to turn her body but she held strong.  
"Look, I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but –"  
"Piss off." She interrupted him, jabbing the button for the lift so hard the controls fell back into the wall slightly.  
"Where are you going?" He exclaimed as she stepped in the crystal case.  
"Anywhere away from you." And the doors closed. As she passed District One's floor, she could see into the living area, but no one was there, not even an Avox. On the ground floor, she followed the arrows along the walls that lead to the training center. Every clock she passed read out the time 7:43AM, so no one could possibly be training at this time. But they were. When she barged in, a startled Peeta Mellark spun around with his mentor Haymitch. _Must have requested private sessions. I think I might do that._ Haymitch gave her a nod of acknowledgment and returned to Peeta. Fortunately, knife throwing was at the other end of the center, so Clove had her own space to brush up on her skill. It was around 11:00 when everyone else began to show, but she hadn't paused since she first came in. So far, everything had been a direct hit. The head, the heart, she hadn't missed either every time she threw.  
"Clove!" Cato called from the entrance. She turned her head in his direction for a second, before returning to the moving target ahead of her. His hand weight down on her shoulder, causing her hand to unbalance slightly, none the less, she still hit straight.  
"Clove, stop." He snatched the knife from her hand. She had nothing to throw, all of the other knives were lodged in different targets, some in moving ones. She stepped forward to retrieve them, but Cato's steel grip on her shoulder said otherwise.  
"Sit." He ordered, when she didn't he forced her shoulder down, "Now." Finally she gave in, he sat beside her not sure of what to say.  
"Why didn't you tell me?" She interrupted the silence. Cato frowned in frustration, she knew this was a tricky question to answer. He racked his mind and finally pieced together a reasonable answer.  
"Because," He began, "Because we knew that if I and Glimmer acted like we are now in the Games, you'd grow tired of it and leave the career pack. So Brutus came up with the idea before we came, that if you befriended the district one boy, you would want to stay." Clove stay silent, these people knew her so well, _too_ well. Of course she'd leave the career pack if Cato carried on prancing around with that Glimmer for much longer, but why couldn't they just accept that?  
"Why would you try to stop me leaving?" She finally said. Eyeing him whilst tracing circles on the floor with her feet.  
"Because we knew that if you left, we would have to kill you much sooner." Trust Cato to make it sinister 'sooner', he was planning on killing me anyway.  
"And I didn't want that. And ironically, neither did Marvel." Cato explained, he was good at explaining. Even being the gigantic tank he is, he's very good at explaining. Clove checked up at the center clock, each tribute is allowed four hours in the morning of training and four hours in the afternoon. The time was 11:30AM, her time was almost up. She quickly analyzed the look on Cato's face, his explanation, and his role in the entire situation. Clove knew he only did what he did because Brutus told him to, she would have done the same.  
"I forgive you." She mustered, eyeing him meaningfully. He looks up at her, a faint smile to match hers on his lips.  
"Thank you." He murmurs, only over the sound of the mechanical door opening to let someone else in. Marvel. Clove glares over Cato's shoulder at him, and abruptly gets up and marches towards him. Ignoring Cato's calling behind her, she whips out one of her knives as she approaches him and lays it into his cheek swiftly as he tried to explain.  
"Aw SHIT!" His other hand makes it up to his face, blood seeping through the gaps in between his fingers. He looks at it, then back up at Clove. Seeing the anger and hurt on her tiny face.  
"Clove, please-"  
"You lied to me!" Clove's interruption silences the whole center, Staff and Peacekeepers watching cautiously from the balcony above.  
"You made a fool out of me!" She continues. Her voice echoing back at her. By now she's got the entire contents of the training center's eyes trained on her. She takes a minute to look around her, at all the concerned faces, and finds Cato now stood behind her. Marvel steps forward,  
"Please just listen!"  
"NO!" She barks, they knife poised in the air above her head. Before she could callously bring it down, Cato grips her wrist high above her, forcing her to let go. She drops the knife and it rattles to the floor. Clove glances up at the clock, and it's 11:42AM. She sharply tears her hand from Cato, her eyes still on Marvel.  
"You are nothing to me." She hears the woman's voice call out from the speaker telling the crowd that Clove Vinewood's time is up. And exits the center, leaving Marvel behind.

She finds herself on the roof for the rest of the afternoon. Watching the day go by, and missing her second training session. She didn't need it anyway, she was fine the way she was. Leant up against a flower bed, Clove lets her head fall into her knees. She was a strong woman. But not now. When everyone who she thought she could trust, turned out to be the people who she can't. _He made a fool out of me. _She tells herself. NO ONE, makes a fool out of Clove without paying for it, and she guesses that the cut on his cheek paid well for that. The door behind her suddenly opens, and she senses a figure sit down beside her.  
"He can be a dick, I know." Glimmer's voice rang in her ear. Glimmer? What was she doing here?  
"But don't think, just because Brutus and Cash thought it was a good idea, that he went along with it just for them. I'm pretty sure there were some of his own feelings in there." She continued. She snagged some berries off the bush behind her and began throwing them off the roof, for them to bounce of the field and straight into her awaiting mouth.  
"I've known Marvel since I can remember, and trust me, he has fucked up way worse than this." Chewing on the berry, Clove see some of its juice stain her lips and fingertips as she tosses another one off the side of the roof, yet again catching it in her mouth.  
"Do you think I was harsh on him?" She turns to face her, and she does the same.  
"No, I just think that there's a time to forgive and forget. And if there was a spark between you, maybe you should forget before the Games." Glimmer spoke the honest truth, and maybe she was the only one for a while who had done that. Clove was wrong about Glimmer, she wasn't your usual district one, completely made up over everything girly. In fact, she even seemed ready to fight.  
"But, I just don't want it to be because you want me to stay in the career pack." She snaps. It's a good thing Glimmer ignores her snide, nasty manor, anyone else would have walked off a long time ago.  
"Make that clear then." She stuffs a berry in her mouth.  
"What if I don't want to" She stops stuffing her dainty face with berries and looks over at me, her face turning serious.  
"If you don't, that's fine with me, I'd rather have Marvel away from you if you want to be like that. If you didn't take note because you've got too much pride, Marvel wasn't in the District 1 bed last night, he was with you – and I can tell you this now, neither Brutus or Cash told him too. If you'd listened to their conversation properly, you'd realize all they wanted him to do was get to know you, not fall in love with you –which he has. It's your loss and if you want to be the stuck up cow you are being right now, Marvel is better without you." And with a flick of golden hair, she vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Clove gently aroused from her sleep. Her eyes slowly focusing on the decorated ceiling above. Her fingers scratching at the mattress. Almost expecting another body sound asleep beside her. The light was dim in the room, which suggested that it was early morning again. She lay still for a moment, allowing herself to fully wake up. Suddenly, her stomach lurched and the food from last night was soon to make reappearance. She dived out of bed and landed on her knees, the clatter and crashing of her stumbling around the room aroused attention on the floor. Cato gushed in to find Clove desperately trying to keep the rice from the night before in her stomach.  
"Oh god Clove!" His face wrinkled at her poor, pale state and he carefully helped her to her feet and led her to the bathroom, where she finally opened her mouth into the toilet. Cato held her hair from her face whilst she constantly puked into the toilet. She sat with her arms folded under her chin on the rim of the seat, the color sucked from her face and her doe eyes heavy with exhaustion. When Brutus finally strode in, he'd missed the worse of it.  
"How repulsive." He cringed, peering into the toilet to see the vomit.  
"Nope, I'm fine don't you worry about me, Brutus!" Clove spluttered angrily. He shook his head at her sarcastic tone and soon vanished out of the bedroom again.  
"You, my friend, are staying in bed today." Cato helped Clove to her feet, after she was sure it had finished.  
"No, I need to train." She persisted, climbing into bed anyway. Cato tucked the cover around her so only her face showed. Brutus then reappeared with a doctor at his side, who abruptly ushered Cato out of his way and began examining Clove. After testing her temperature, her heart rate and pulse rate he found himself at a conclusion.  
"It seems you have suffered very severe food poisoning, either that or you are highly allergic to the last meal you ate." He pushed his spectacles with a stubby finger back up his nose, nodding at Brutus and letting himself out.  
"Looks like you're staying in bed today then Clovey." Cato patted her head and turned to leave.  
"No, I need to practice." Clove coughed, buried in her duvet.  
"See how you are at lunch" He replied with a wink, before vanishing himself to get changed for training." She sighed to herself, peering round to look out the window, and all she could see was the skyscrapers. _I've got to stay here? Till Lunch? No way._ She thought, scrambling out of bed and digging out a spare pair of clothes. As she slipped into them, Clove had to dip in and out of bed, fully clothed whilst Brutus, Cato and Bonnie peered in to check on her.  
"I'm going down with Brutus now, Bonnie will be hanging about somewhere, don't leave here until I get back." Cato peered around the door, and she nodded as if it caused her great pain. He gently closed the door behind himself and Clove listened out for the gentle hum of the lift as Cato and Brutus disappeared to the training center. Clove immediately sprang from the bed, and waited at the door for Bonnie to pass with her orange scented tea to her own room. She sprinted for the lift as soon as Bonnie disappeared behind a door, diving in it and punching the 'DOWN' button with limitless force. She just managed to see Bonnie drop her mug and shuffle for the lift in her huge frilly shoes. Once the lift reached the floor and Clove hopped out, it flew straight back up again, _that must be Bonnie_. Clove better move fast otherwise she would be caught by her escort. She had vaguely remembered the route to the training center and only now peered up at the arrows whenever her memory blocked. She caught the arena in her sights and set out in a sprint across the corridor._ Once I'm in they can't get me out!_ She was right, once in the center, you're not allowed out for four hours. Not even for the bathroom –they have one in there. Once she burst through the doors, every head turned her way, including her mentor Brutus and fellow tribute Cato. She avoided looking at them and with her head held high, she strode towards her knives.  
"What are you doing?" Cato rushed to her side, but she only smiled into his furious blue eyes.  
"I'm in now, can't get me out. Game's rules." She stated, stepping round him and slipping an unfamiliar knife into her hand.  
"I haven't seen this one before." She throws it from hand to hand, measuring it up before lining her aim.  
"I wouldn't throw that one." A quiet voice came from behind her. Clove spun around to see the tiny Rue stood with her arms behind her back. Her huge chocolate eyes staring into Clove's.  
"Bugger off, kid. I'm not in the mood." Clove snapped, not giving the District 11 girl another glance after that. She lines her aim up once more, before dispatching the knife in the air for it to soar not only into a target, but destroy once completely. Her eyes widened and she spun round to face Rue, but she had vanished. She had a knack for that. Several knives later, Clove had long forgotten about the strange knife, only concentrating on hitting the moving targets with the less bulky ones.  
"Hey! Who stole my knife?" A booming voice echoed through the center. Each tribute hung silent whilst Thresh, the huge coffee skinned killing machine dived under benches and raked through racks of weapons until his gaze fell on Clove. He takes a moment to look behind her, seeing the one destroyed dummy and racing to what seemed to be an accurate solution.  
"You stole it." He sneered, his teeth bared as he crushed the floor with every step he took closer to Clove.  
"You STOLE my knife!" He snarled, looming towards her.  
"I didn't! I swear! I didn't know it was your knife! I didn't know!" She exclaimed backing out further every time Thresh drew closer. Clove was fierce, she never backed out from a fight usually in her home district, but with being 5'3, and Thresh standing at over six foot, and most of his body weight raw muscle, this fight seemed a little one sided. She knew he wasn't bothered if it was an accident or not, he just wanted an excuse to hurt somebody, to hurt Clove. Unaware of what she was backing into; Clove slipped and tumbled over a bench, which merely snapped in two when Thresh brought his foot down on it. She was desperately kicking herself backwards now, until she found there was nowhere else to back up into. She'd hit the wall.  
"No more hiding now, two" He grimaced inches from her face. With the scruff of her collar in his grasp, he hauled her weak frame and launched it back to where the bench had broken. She didn't have time to prepare for him, he was onto her within seconds.  
"Let's just see how clever you are now." Thresh growled, holding her up in suspense by his grip on her throat. She scratched and clawed at his knuckles but it was no use.  
"Leave her!" Cato yelled, body-slamming into Thresh, who in reaction dropped Clove from the height, landing on her back. She cried out in pain, but the other tributes had gone to encourage the fight between Cato and Thresh. Except one. Marvel. He crouched down next to her, almost knowing she didn't have long left.  
"Let's get you on your feet." He held out his hand for her but she rolled over to the other side, coughing and spluttering.  
"I don't need your help." She choked. The sickness from not even an hour earlier had come back to haunt her. Dizzy and frail, she managed to get to her feet without him, but walking was another story.  
"You are _not_ going to make it over there like_ that_" He stated matter of factly. She ignored him and carried on towards the door. Almost as if he knew it was going to happen, Marvel quickly lifted her off her feet and ran for the door. Clove could feel it coming, the unpleasant surge of vomit creeping up her throat. Marvel sat her down on the First Aid Bay and ran off to get a bucket. Her whole body lurched forward as she fought to keep the vile substance down. Before she could blink, Marvel was back at her side, a bright red bucket with the Seal imprinted into it lodged underneath his arm. He banged it on the floor below her head. She finally experienced the sloppy mush jump back up into her mouth, and down into the bucket. She could even see the stupid food that had declared the war on her stomach. _Fucking carrots._ She glared into the liquid, sipping at a glass of water that had sat beside her ever since Marvel returned. Silence devoured them both as they awkwardly twitched from either side of the bench, not wanting to be caught glancing at the other. Clove brought her knees up to her chin, closing her eyes and inhaling the clean, new scent of the training suit she was wearing.  
"Clove?" A gentle murmur came from her left. Her brow creased and glared sideways at him. He was now sat closer to her, with either leg on each side of the bench, leaning close to lift a stray strand of her dark hair from her eyes. Instinctively, Clove whipped her hand up from her shins and harshly slapped his hand away. Marvel leant back and sighed, swinging one leg over the bench so he was sitting the other side to her. When Clove straightened her sight once again, she saw Glimmer watching her, narrowing her eyes at Clove. Before her words ran clear in her head, _it's your loss._ Glimmer was right. Even though clove had set her sights on wanting to hate this boy, her early feelings for him fought back. Somehow, she missed being the one who he held in those arms, and the one who, even after hurling abuse at him, still whisked her off her feet and carried her off. He took her breath away. Her scowl softened at the thought, Glimmer must have noticed – she flashed her a smile and raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows at Clove. Before striding off to shoo Katniss Everdeen from the shooting range. She let her knees fall back down and her boots _clunked_ onto the floor.  
"Marvel." She managed, even though her brain shrieked at her to silence. His head spun to face her, almost as if he were excited at the sound of her voice.  
"Yes?" His voice was low, like he didn't want anyone to hear apart from Clove. His eyes stared pleadingly into her temple. But she didn't look his way.  
"The mentors told you to like me." She stated, but her voice pricking at the end, because she wasn't done. Marvel's head hung low, and a solitary brown curl bounced in front of his face. Guilt was heavy on his shoulders as he hunched over his knees, propping his face up with his hands cupping his jaw. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught him nod shyly. She continued.  
"But, did they tell you to love me?" She turned her head to face him, her eyes showering his facial features with the pure hope he wouldn't nod again. His brow creased in disbelief, and he shook his head slowly, his eyes on hers and his mouth slightly open.  
"No, no of course they didn't." He whimpered.  
"You did that yourself?" Clove nodded her head forwards, her eye brows raised and her expression what seemed to be, very, _very _faint amusement.  
Marvel leaned back and frowned around the first aid bay, holding his hands up in front of his chest as if he was frustrated, yet shocked by what she was saying.  
"No, I'm under on tracker jacker venom, the Capitol are messing with my mind." His familiar sarcastic tone rang in her ears, even making a smile play on her flushed face. Marvel smiled faintly back at her, relieved it was all over.  
"Look, it wasn't meant to hurt you." His hand found its way to her shoulder, his thumb massaging it comfortingly.  
"I know." Clove turned her head away from him. And after a few seconds of silence turned back to his aqua gaze.  
"So I guess I'm going to have to put up with your antics for a bit longer am i?" She flashed him a smile, winking once as he beamed back.  
"Not that you weren't enjoying it…" He trailed off, looking up to the ceiling with raised eyebrows.  
"Ha, don't flatter yourself, Marvelous." She chortled and picked herself up off the bench, the water still in her hand.  
"What did you just call me?" His voice drew her to spin on her heels, he had stood up and a wonky grin had materialized across his lips.  
"Marvelous? You like?" She turned on her heels again, leaving him alone in the first aid bay as she returned to the center. The crowd, Cato and Thresh had disappeared. Until she caught sight of Cato getting yelled at by Brutus in one side of the center, and Thresh getting treated for a broken nose in the other. The crowd had divided in two and spread all around the boys, making it difficult for Peacekeeper's to maintain. Being the only one who was actually training, she strode, more powerful and determined than before, towards the knife rack. The destroyed dummy had been cleared and the strange knife placed back into the rack along with the others. _Better not touch that one again__…_ Clove thought to herself, choosing a much less heavy knife, nipping the blade between her thumb and index finger, pulling it back behind her head and lining her aim with her left arm straightened in front of her. But before she could even release it, a silver arrow tore through the air, and pierced the hard torso of the target.  
"I see Marvel has perked up a bit over there." Glimmer positioned another arrow in the nocking point and firing straight through another dummy, before gesturing over to where Marvel bounced over to a spear, and slung it, without even lining his aim, in any old direction towards the targets. A goofy grin on his lips.  
"I guess so." Clove mused, before Glimmer could interrupt her shot again, she released the knife and it soared through the air, plunging into the bull's eye over one hundred meters away.  
"My words of wisdom come in useful then?" Glimmer broke Clove's concentration once again, Clove abruptly dropped her arm from its poised position behind her head and threw Glimmer a mucky look, wrinkling her nose up into a snarl as she spoke.  
"You know, you'd think you were trying to put me off on purpose." She spat, waiting a second to glare into Glimmer's unbothered eyes before viciously setting the knife through another dummy's head.  
"I'll take that as a yes then." Glimmer giggled in her oh so charming way, before returning to Cato's side, warding off any competition from the other girl tributes who threw themselves around him. Clove rolled her eyes. Glimmer had two sides to her; the giggly, loud, flirtatious (not that she wasn't flirtatious all the time) dreamy girl who pranced around for the cameras, reeling in as many sponsors as she could get her perfect nails into. And there was the determined fighter who never missed her aim and with a swish of her luscious blonde waves, has her victims begging for mercy. Clove watched her as Glimmer balanced herself with both her arms wrapped around Cato's neck on his knee as the camera crew zoomed in on the pair. Clove averted her eyes when Cato planted a strong kiss on her lips, and they stay there not even caring that the whole of Panem was watching.  
"What are _you _staring at?" Marvel's voice startled her from behind, his chin centimeters from her shoulder as he crouched to her level.  
"Don't, do that." She muttered, passing by him and scooping up a handful of knives. Launching them all at the same target, completely mutilating it. He chuckled and plopped down on the bench beside, her. His eyes fixated as she swiftly threw each knife with ease, catching her perfect aim easily.  
"Impressive." He nodded his head at her, "But I could do better." He shrugged, leaning back onto a rack of weapons. Clove's head slowly turned, fighting to keep the smile back.  
"What, did you just say?" She gave him a sly half-smile, before step by step she crept closer, playing with the blade between her fingers.  
"I could do better." He repeated, flashing her a casual smile and shrugging. He began to stand up, but like light, Clove had the tip of the blade gently pressing on his throat, forcing him to sit down.  
"Well then, be my guest." She lowered her face to his, not removing the knife from its place at his neck. Backing away eventually, she thrust the handle of the knife into his chest, stepping backwards to give him as much room as he needed. Unprepared for her newest proposal, he stayed quiet as he got up, examining the serrated edge close to the handle, and the sleek curve of the tip in his hands. Holding it still and weighing it in his hands for minutes, Clove grew impatient.  
"I'm growing old here, Marvel! Are you going to throw it or just stand there touching it up?" She teased, folding her arms across her chest and smirking. He spaced his feet out and muttered to himself.  
"Can't be much different than a spear…" He reassured himself, holding the knife like he'd seen Clove, bringing it back slowly before unexpectedly lashing it out in front of him. He staggered back into Clove, clutching his temple as fresh blood pulsed from the open gash.  
"You tit." She muttered, her tiny fist clutched around his as she brought his palm down from his head. That second, the knife made a satisfying clunk against a metal wall, he'd missed by miles.  
"Why do I always have to clean up after you?" She grinned, wriggling out of her own training top, revealing her skin tight under clothes as she pressed it without any remorse to his temple, no matter how many times he yelped.  
"Stop being such a baby, and move." She snapped, dragging him back to the first aid bay, where they had both just appeared from not even half an hour ago. Clove gladly handed Marvel over to the first aider whilst she vanished to wash her own hands. She was no good when it came to first aid. In fact, she'd been trained to avoid it. It was no trouble inflicting the wounds, but when it was down to Clove to sort them out, she was clueless. When she strode back through, her hands still dripping from the taps, Marvel was sat alone with a bandage wrapped around his head. He grinned half-heartedly at the sight of her, feeling sorry for himself.  
"What were you saying about knife throwing, Marvel? Your better than me are you?" She teased; her fists on her hips as she stood in front of him. He slapped his knee for her, and feeling slightly hypocritical, she lightly perched on his knee with one arm around his neck.  
"Kiss it better?" He hoped, raising one eyebrow, seeking approval from the thoughtful dark eyes before him. She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly before pulling his head closer and laying a soft kiss on top of the white bandage wrapped continuously around his forehead. 


	6. Chapter 6

After a night of constant care and under watch of Marvel, Clove lost the feeling of grogginess from the sickness, and was allowed to enter morning training the following day. She woke in the morning, to find herself enveloped in his arms. She wriggled closer, the heat from his body luring her to him. He rolled onto his back, as he slowly dragged himself out of the fidget free slumber. Her cheek was pressed against his chest and her eyes softly stared into the mirror across from the bed.  
"Morning, gorgeous." He mumbled, stretching his arms high above his head and letting them flop back around Clove again. She hummed in response, closing her eyes and drifting off again to the gentle beat of his heart underneath her ear. His heart. She even tried to breathe in time with him, so their hearts would beat together. His heart, she had his heart. No one else did. She did. And she didn't like to admit it, but he had hers too. His fingers traced the curve of her back so carefully, zigzagging up towards her neck. She moaned softly in response, her head shuffling over his chest to find another comfy spot. She repositioned her head to fit perfectly underneath his chin, and they stayed there in quiet for a while. Listening to each other's breathing, their beating. Outside the door, the floor rose to life. Bonnie's morning voice was singing some sort of melody through to the dining room and Cato's snoring had ceased.  
"I better go." Marvel whispered, gently planting a long kiss in her hair, before lifting the covers off of both of them, and shuffling from underneath Clove, and pottering over to the pile of his clothes in the corner. The dawn cast dim shafts of light through the windows; Clove could just see the contrast between Marvel's pale skin and the dark wallpaper behind him.  
"Nice ass." She muttered, covering herself again with the thick, thermalized covers and rolling over to hide her face in the cushions.  
"Why thank you." He grinned and hopped into his trousers. Fully clothed, he crept back to the bed and his lips found Clove's ear.  
"Don't panic too much; your beloved is only on the floor below." He chuckled softly in her ear, kissing her cheek afterwards and disappearing off through the balcony doors.  
"I'll try." Clove whispered to herself, drifting off back into a light slumber in the early morning light.

"Clove? CLOVE! GET UP YOU LAZY PRICK! WE NEED TO GO!" Cato's head peeked round through her door, he suddenly exploded to find her still in bed, when they should have left for the training center minutes ago. He marched over and shook her shoulders angrily, throwing her from unconsciousness and back into reality.  
"Arggh! Cato!" She finally opened her eyes and shoved him away. Sitting upright she clutched the covers to herself protectively.  
"Get out!" She boomed. He threw her a you-better-get-your-ass-out-of-bed-or-I'll-kill you scowl before slamming the door and muttering unintelligible curses under his breath. Reluctantly, Clove freed herself from the warmth of the sheets and strode on the balls of her feet towards the drawer that Bonnie had so kindly named the 'Training Drawer' which held all of her clothes for training ranging from socks, to jumpsuits and even to underwear. Her palms clasped her elbows across her chest to hold onto the last drabs of heat she could.  
"Curse you Cato." She seethed, rushing through brushing her teeth and tying her hair back. She hated sleeping in, especially the frantic rush that shortly followed. If she slept in in District 2, her mother would insist she had to stay in bed for the rest of the day and miss training. _'If you think sleeping is more important than your training, you better catch up on it!' _Clove felt her words ring through her skull. She smiled and shook her head as she opened the door Cato had almost had hanging off its hinges and joined him and Brutus at the lift.  
"Why did you sleep in?" Brutus was less vicious than Cato was, but the sharp edge to his words was still there.  
"Um, I was tired?" Clove shot back, an element of sarcasm hanging on her lips.  
"You were naked when I walked in." Cato added, his arms folded across his chest knowing that what he was hinting at was probably true.  
"Because it's cooler like that?" Clove was grabbing at straws here, one more question from the pair who stood so high above her would guarantee her crack.  
"Oh, ok." Cato smirked, holding his head high as the lift doors opened onto the ground floor. Clove glared into the floor, she knew that Cato had sussed it, but she was glad that her interrogation was over. Barging past Peacekeepers and officials at the Training Center, Clove had her eyes fixed on the memorized path towards the center.  
"Someone's on a mission." Brutus laughed, as he and Cato followed behind her. She glared past her shoulder at him. Not looking where she was going, she collided straight into another tribute.  
"Hey!" She growled, "Watch where you're going you idiot!" She snapped, glaring into the startled blue eyes of Peeta Mellark. Her encounters with him on this training schedule were beginning to annoy her, and she roughly shoved past him.  
"Watch it, 2!" An equally angry female voice seethed behind her. Clove abruptly stopped, relaxing her back and turning on her heels. Her black eyes glaring into those of Katniss Everdeen, standing with her feet parted in front of Peeta protectively.  
"Aw, protecting little Lover Boy here are we? That's sweet. But just for the record, no one is buying your pathetic little Love Game. You may have got the Capitol's affection, but the rest of us tributes can see right through your stupid little act." Clove leaned into her words, she hadn't done this for days, maybe she had been too preoccupied to be cruel to others.  
"Why don't you come over here and say that?" Katniss growled, gesturing to the space in front of her.  
"Why don't I do _just _that?" Clove yelled, her eyes laid on Thresh's knife in the 'CONFISCATED ASSORTMENT' box to her left. Her hand ripped it from the pile and she moved swiftly towards Katniss.  
"Whoa, hold up here. Save it for the arena." A Peacekeeper was at her side, his steel grip over the knife in her locked fist. She rived her hand free and shot him a deathly look, before glaring back at Katniss – who seemed bewildered that Clove actually went for her – and turning her back on them all and signing herself into the center. She and Cato seemed to be the latest district in the center, as she could see two pairs of each number apart from two and twelve. And, One? Glimmer had Cato trying out the archery station, and she held herself close to him as she corrected his position. But where was Marvel? With the question lingering on her mind, she began to make her way to the other end of the arena, to the unoccupied station of knives. Clove kept close to the wall as the hand-hand combat station had left it's podium, and the two girls were recklessly fighting in a wonky pattern around the entire center. Close to her station, Clove began to plan out her strategy for the day. When out of nowhere, a flying object hurtled towards her. Without any time to react, Clove tried to brace herself for the impact. It cut through the air like knife through butter, and threw Clove into the wall behind her. Her collar was pinned to the plaster behind her, deeming her unable to escape; she glanced over at the object that was too close to skewering her neck. It was a spear.  
"We meet again." Marvel, like the spear, materialized out of nowhere before her. His nose was toughing hers and she let her head fall back into the wall as she laughed.  
"I should have known." She met his eyes. They were cocky, and bright. He watched her for seconds, smiling slowly as she did the same.  
"You are going to release me then?" She raised her eyebrows and her fingers skimmed the metallic surface of the spear imprisoning her to the wall. Marvel pulled away, his arms still wrapped around her waist and his pelvis touching hers.  
"Hmm, I don't know, maybe later." He fully pulled back and began to walk away, the smile soon fading from Clove's lips.  
"Marvel? Marvel, I'm being serious, let me go." She called out, but his grin fixated in place as he began to choose a spear from the rack only fifteen feet away from her.  
"Marvel! Let me go, this isn't funny anymore!" She cried, tugging at the spear, but from the angle it was wedged into the wall, and the position by her neck, she couldn't drive it free, and she knew that if she tore her training jumpsuit, she wouldn't here the end of it from Bonnie. But Marvel continued to ignore her, throwing spear after spear into the desired target. After some time, Cato strolled over with Glimmer on his arm.  
"Looks like Marvel's got you prisoner." Glimmer giggled, elbowing Marvel playfully in the rib. Clove sneered and rolled her eyes at the blonde.  
"Cato, you're strong enough. Get me off this thing?" She pleaded, but he shook his head all the same.  
"Ah, that's where you are wrong. You see, I specialize in swords and fighting. I'm _not_ too good with spears…"  
"YOU DON'T NEED TO BE GOOD WITH SPEARS JUST HELP ME!" Clove yelled across at him, but he just snaked an arm around Glimmer and turned away.  
"After that nasty outburst, I don't think I will." And with that, he was gone towards the swords station. Glimmer as well. Clove wildly tugged at the spear, but nothing she did could even loosen it.  
"Marvel." Her voice slackened in defeat, and her shoulders loosened, tired from the attempts of freeing herself.  
"Yeees Clove?" He turned to face her, leaning on a spear with the same grin as before plastered across his lips. He moved towards her, leaving the spear stuck vertically in the ground. His forehead dropped to hers and without warning, his lips pressed against hers with force that brought her head back up against the wall. The blaze inside of her egnighted, spreading over the gentle touch of Marvel's fingers on her waist, to the hand which cradled her neck, and his lips against hers. Clove's closed eyes and focused senses, didn't even register Marvel swiftly pulling the spear from the wall. He pulled her away from the icy surface and cupped her face within his hands, lifting her chin upwards. Clove pulled away to breathe, Marvel looked down at her with a cheeky glint in his eye.  
"Now, please tell me why I was stuck to that wall all this time?" She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back on Marvel's arms to get a better view of his face. She thought his smirk couldn't get any bigger than it already had, but it did. He grinned down at her, huffs of laughter escaping from his tightly pulled lips.  
"So you'd do that." He chuckled, but only loud enough for her to hear. She gently slapped his chest playfully, as he turned her around to walk towards the benches.  
"How long have you been planning that one then?" She smiled up at him daringly. His arm squeezed her closer for a second as he pretended to count the days on his fingers. Clove dropped her head back into his shoulder, he was stood behind her now and his head was resting on her shoulder. She found herself lifting her hand up to his face, and twisting his brown curls within her fingers. Marvel closed his eyes, but the grin didn't fade. Clove's eyes stayed open though, and her mouth was set in a straight line. She didn't want this to end; she didn't want to go into the arena and have to kill him if she wanted to be crowned victor. But it was going to happen. The Capitol would make sure of it. His head almost fell straight for the laminated floor, when she unexpectedly moved away from his hold and over to the knives. He followed her all the same. She filtered the knives into two piles, one for the closer targets and the others for the distanced targets. Yes, this was her strategy.  
"Marvel?" She spun on the balls of her feet and smiled pettily at him.  
"Yes?" He smiled back, hoping she wanted something that was in his favor too.  
"Go away."  
"Why?"  
"I need to train, and I can't do that whilst your stood watching me." She spun around back to the knives, hearing him get up and move towards her.  
"Why's that? Do you find…" He unzipped the top half of his training jumpsuit, "Distracting?" Revealing the polished torso complete with its own perfected set of abs. Each individual square of muscle over his stomach even had their own shadow, and his skin glowed under the light and the look on his smug face told Clove that he was proud of his perfect body. Holding each side of the suit open, Marvel then quickly zipped it up and winked at Clove over his shoulder as he pranced off towards his station.  
"Would it be bad if I did?" She called after him, a playful smile dancing on her lips. He shook his head, still with that silly grin he threw a spear high into the air and caught it. _Show off._ Clove thought as he spun it around his fingers at speeds she couldn't follow.

From then on, Marvel left her to clean up her skills, she was grateful too, seen as the training session she had to miss yesterday afternoon, took its toll on her aim, sending the blade always that tiny bit to the left.  
**"Can all tributes please make departure for their lunch, and resume with training from 1'o'clock onwards please. Thank you for your cooperation."** The voice called out over the center, and the twenty four tributes began to filter through the double doors, and towards the lift. Cato was nowhere to be found and neither was Glimmer, so instead of waiting in the line for the lift on her own, Clove 'accidently' collided into the side of Marvel as he waited patiently with no one.  
"Looks like your stood by yourself, thought I'd be the kinder one and join you." She winked and stood beside him at the rear of the line. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer, she draped an arm around his and leant her head into his chest.  
"The only reason you'd stand with someone alone like me, is because you are a loner yourself." He winked down at her and she smiled back.  
"I guess we're just loners together then." She winked back, not even aware that it was only them in the queue for the lift now, and the doors were open and waiting for them.  
"Dining with me are you then? I wouldn't want a vulnerable little girl like you all alone until one." His hand had found hers and was leading her into the lift. Clove mocked offence at the 'vulnerable little girl' and pushed him away.  
"I'm not the one who creeps into your bed at night so I'm not all alone in the dark." She folds her arms across her chest and lets him pull her close again.  
"Actually I do that for your benefit." He states, as they both hop off onto the jewel encrusted quarters that belong to Marvel's district. The Avox children had already set the table for four, little did they know it was only Marvel and Clove eating there that day.  
"Mmm, steak." Marvel rubs his stomach and licks his lips exaggeratedly, smiling over at Clove when he sees her fighting back the laughter. They sit side by side and a word is not shared as they both wolf down the steak and the garnish beside it. Clove leans back after completely devouring everything on the plate in front her, to find Marvel's awaiting arm at the small of her back. He's leant back to and smiling like a goon into her turned head.  
"I'm guessing you were hungry." He whispers, to full to verbally respond, Clove answers with one slow nod of her head. Before she could resist, the room was spinning around her, the table was behind her. Once she regained her stable vision, she realized she was cupped in Marvel's arms as he carried her bridal style towards his room.  
"Stop right there, Marvel. I'm afraid Clove is going to have to come with me." Brutus's voice was unmistakable. Marvel abruptly spun to see a very tearful Glimmer stride past to her room, leaving a very angry Cato and superior Brutus awaiting Clove in the lift. Marvel froze for a second, as if he were actually deciding whether to obey the previous victor, or run in the opposite direction, Clove still within his arms.  
"Now." He urged. Marvel whispered something that Clove didn't quite catch as he gently set her to her feet, giving her a small nudge in the small of her back to encourage her towards Brutus.  
"What's going on?" Clove insisted, as the doors closed behind her and Marvel disappeared below them.  
"Oh, you'll both find out when we get to the floor." Brutus stated, nodding his head towards the now open doors. Clove gave Cato a confused look, but it seems he knew as much as she did: They were in a huge heap of trouble.


	7. Chapter 7

"What's going on?" Clove whispered behind Brutus's back to Cato, but he just shrugged his shoulders, the furious glint in his eyes still lurking within the blue. Bonnie pottered out of her room and beamed with multi-colored teeth at them.  
"Why hello, everybody! How's everything-…" Her peppy tone trailed when she saw the look on Brutus's face. She shuffled over in the same sky high heels as before to join them over at the couch where Brutus had herded them.  
"No, Bonnie. I need a word with them alone." He held his arm up towards her, preventing her from moving any closer then she had. Looking slightly hurt, she vanished back through to her room, leaving the door open to peer in on the conversation.  
"Sit." Brutus ordered. Cato sat across from him beside Clove, she could feel the rays of heat radiate from his body, as he fought not to lunge at his mentor. When all fell silent, Brutus raked his hand through his hair and looked back up at the tributes as if he were lacking sleep.  
"President Snow isn't happy." He finally said. Letting the words sink in before continuing.  
"He's not happy with you two. At all." Chills ran down Clove's spine. President Snow was the cruelest, most obeyed man in the whole of Panem. Those people who hadn't followed his way of life where never seen again, he was known within a select few – including Brutus – for torturing his victims, and yet, here she was causing him to be displeased with her.  
"Why?" She mused, thanking herself silently, for mastering the talent of hiding her emotions behind a mask.  
"There is only one pair of star-crossed lovers, Clove. Not three." And all of a sudden, everything fit into place. The president must have known about Cato and Glimmer. He must have known about the flirtatious games in training session, and he must have known about Marvel creeping into her bed on a night after hours. He must have been watching them, very closely. In fact, he might have just caught a glimpse of them; they didn't do well to hide it. But, after days of Cato and Glimmer doing whatever they've been doing, and the hours of flirting with Marvel and the nights he spent in Clove's bed, why, didn't the President try to stop it?  
"That's none of his business." Cato seethed, glaring into the vase on the mahogany coffee table between them. Brutus chortled, as if Cato wasn't speaking any sense.  
"Of course it's his business, Cato! These are his games! And whatever goes on in them; is what _he_ has instructed!" Brutus yelled, "And this _thing_, or whatever you've both got with District 1, isn't a part of his plans! You are making a MOCKERY of the Capitol! And how do you think President Snow finds that? Do you think he finds it amusing? Do you think he finds it entertaining? No! He doesn't like it! And that is why it needs to stop! Before he hurts you! If you're not doing it for yourselves at least do it for Marvel and Glimmer, because as soon as he sees that I've warned you, and you carry on doing it, that's who he is going to turn to, and I don't mean for advice." Brutus slumps back down into his chair that he sprang from during his yelling. The reality of his words sinks in. The entire seriousness of what they've been doing hits home. Cato's fists are balled and he launches up from the sofa and storms through to his room, the door clatters to the floor, clean off the hinges. Clove stays put. She could visualize Snow at his desk, with that overpowering rose tucked into his lapel, and his evil eyes glistening as he tears her away from Marvel. Marvel. It dawns on her, does he know? Has he been told? Glimmer must know, the way she kept the tears back from falling when Brutus ordered her away from Cato. But would she tell Marvel? Surely she would, they were friendly enough with each other. Cashmere must have sat tem both down like Brutus did.  
"Does District 1 know?" Clove does her best to keep her feelings from exposure under Brutus's heavy glare.  
"No." He answers quick.  
"They should." Her head lifts so her eyes are met with his. He shakes his head and gets up to move towards the table, laid with the same dinner as One's floor.  
"Clove, if you were madly in love with someone like Marvel is with you, and you've been told you can't love him anymore, wouldn't you do all in your power to get to him? It's for his own safety." He shakes his head and rips a mouthful of meat from the steak with his teeth.  
"His own safety?" Clove murmurs, "His own safety? So when Snow sees him wanting to kiss me in the Training center, he won't think that he's defying him? Your endangering him keeping it from him!" She cried, shooting up and slamming her hands onto the coffee table in front of her, causing the vase to topple over the edge and smash around her shoes. Brutus keeps silent, and continues with the steak.  
"Your, a COWARD!" She screams, marching off the same way Cato did, but careful not to send the door off its hinges. From her own room, she could hear him cursing and throwing things, and cursing the mess he'd made over the floor. It was probably best not to disturb him. She lay on her bed, seething as she thought over things. _How dare he, how dare Snow declare what I do and not do._ She yelled inside her head, it was probably best not to say these things out loud, who knows what listening devices he's got rigged in this room. She checks the bedside clock, 1:43PM. She wasn't going to training now. Marvel was probably sat waiting for her, wondering where she was… Something across in Marvel's corner of the room caught her eye, as it shone in the shafts of early afternoon light. She sat up and on all fours, wandered to the end of the bed to examine it. Nope, she still couldn't make out what it was. She slid one leg off the mattress, then the other, and slowly crept up on whatever was reflecting that light. She entwined her fingers around the golden chain and rested the pendant in her hand. It was a beautiful bright teal gem, about the size of a two pence coin. She had to look at it for a second, but what she assumed was right. If she tilted the pendant to the right slightly, some sort of family crest would reflect off each face of the jewel. Marvel's family crest. This was Marvel's District token. She faltered for a second; it must have dropped from his coat pocket. Clove debated whether to keep it until the games and reunite him with it then, or go down to training and give it to him now. Behind her, the door gently opened, and Cato's face peered through. It had lost all of the anger and hatred from before, as if he'd given up. His eyes were all red and puffy and she could only assume that he'd reacted with the goose feathers that he ripped from the pillows in his own room, because Cato never cried. He smiled faintly and slumped over to beside Clove. Like the big brother she'd never had, he comforted her within his huge arms, even though she wasn't crying. Neither said a word, until Cato took notice of her locked fists around the pendant.  
"What's that?" He murmured, his even bigger hands cupping her fists.  
"Nothing." She mused, looking down at it, like she could see straight through the protective shell her hands formed and into the family crest it revealed.  
"Yeah, course there isn't." He snapped, carefully prizing her hands apart and untaffling her fingers from the chain. He stared at it for a while as he hung it in front of his face, watching the crest appear and disappear.  
"Is this…" He trailed off, as Clove snatched it back.  
"Marvel's token? I think so." She said. "In fact I'm sure it is." Cato sat back against the bed frame and stared at her in disbelief.  
"You do know, if you get caught with that, you're in serious shit. No one else is allowed to see another tribute's token." He stated matter-of-factly. Clove glared into the floor across from her, wanting to shout obscene things in his face at his know it all tone and see what he thought of it all.  
"Well, what can I do, I can't go down to training because he's sure to, y-you know – and if President Snow sees him, you know, he's gonna hurt him." She sighs, defeated. And it wasn't even the games yet. She fell back into the bed frame beside Cato, and brought her knees up to her chin, encasing the pendant within her hands and close to her heart. After some time of thinking, Cato sits up slowly and holds out his hand for the pendant.  
"No." Clove sees his offer and only holds onto it tighter than before. Cato laughs slightly and persists.  
"I know what to do, just give me it." He says softly. Clove looked up at him, and saw the knowing in his eyes. She didn't necessarily trust Cato, she never had done. But the way he looked down at her, like a brother would when assuring his younger sister everything would be ok, she decided that there was a first time for everything. She gently poured the golden chain into his palm, then carefully setting the pendant on top of the coil of chain. Watching him as he got up and moved over to the balcony, it suddenly slaps Clove in the face about what he's going to do. She dives up off the floor and races over the slippery wooden flooring towards the balcony, but she's too late. Like slow motion in her brain, she watches his palm slip and the pendant fall into the world below.  
"What are you DOING? That was Marvel's!" She cried in despair, bursting out onto the balcony and almost hurling herself over after it.  
"Relax, Clove." Cato grasps a firm hold on her elbow, pointing downwards towards the balcony below, Marvel's balcony. And sure enough on the plush outdoor chair, sat the pendant Clove believed Cato had thrown away. She sighed in relief and fell back into her own outdoor living chair.  
"Tell me when you're going to do that next time." She breathed, feeling the cold sweat dry on her forehead. Cato sat into the second chair across from her, glaring out onto the view of the Capitol sky scrapers.  
"Well hopefully I won't have to do it again, will I? Because Marvel will keep his clothes in his own room, so he won't drop it in here." It was almost like an order the way he said it. Clove scowled across at him for addressing it so bluntly, before turning her head at the sound of the lift doors opening. It was Piper and Fleur. They gazed around the floor as if it were the most amazing place they'd been. When Piper met Clove's eyes she waved frantically and bounded over, like a pet.  
"We are here to make you look beautiful!" Of course. Clove should have known. Today was the chariot ride through the city. Clove abruptly stood out of the chair and ushered her prep team, including Cato, through off the balcony and into the living area, where two long outfit bags awaited on the sofas.  
"Please don't have us dressed like a clown." Cato moaned, letting his head roll back in tire.  
"Oh of course not! We- well, Twista and Celestie, thought that because District 2 is SO strong and what not, you should dress as Greek gods! We haven't even seen the outfits yet!" Piper howls, hopping up and down and clapping her hands. Fleur was slightly shyer, and just stood beaming into the closed outfit bags.  
"Well, I'm sure that those outfits are going to get themselves out." Cato gestured for the stylists to take them out. They paused for a minute, before realizing what he meant, and began fighting over the bags to open.  
"This one is Clove's! I'M CLOVE'S STYLIST" Piper whined, her claws latched into the fabric bag. Fleur immediately lost her grip, sending Piper hurtling to the ground. Clove quickly snatched the bag from her before it hit the ground with her. Piper fought herself to her feet under the bright blue frock with obscure angles.  
"Well," She catches her breath and brushed her dress down, "Let's get you in it!" She clapped her hands and rested one on Clove's shoulder, pushing her towards her bedroom.  
"The crowd will go _wild_ at this! It's beautiful!" Piper yelped, as she carefully dragged the golden plated dress from the bag, it glinted in the light and reflected Clove's repulsed face.  
"I bet they will." She hissed. Taking it from Piper's eager hands like it was a dead bird freshly skinned and gutted, she slowly slipped into it.  
"It's the most uncomfortable dress I have ever worn." Clove cringed, as Piper fitted individual gold scales across her chest and around her neck.  
"I look like some sort of bird." She seethed, as the scales, in a way, resembled tiny feathers, and the way they were positioned and slotting over each other did them no favors. The dress underneath was also golden, and the skirt was made up individual strips of leather with the golden shorts underneath.  
"I feel like an idiot." She moaned, Piper abruptly stopped and stood up from fixing the gladiator sandals correctly, and stares into Clove's face.  
"You seem to be a lot tenser than usual Clove." She whimpers, her hand reaching up to stroke her cheek. Clove faltered, then suddenly her hand whipped up and smacked Piper's away.  
"You are not employed to take note on how 'tense' I am. You are employed to do my make-up and make me look better than the other tributes!" Clove bared her teeth as she spoke, and Piper's head immediately snapped down. Clove felt a slight pang of guilt when a solitary tear splashed beside her foot. They both remained quiet whilst Piper set the head dress on top Clove's sleek pony tail. She took a step back from Clove, admiring the outfit as it reflected her face on each different scale across her chest.  
"It looks, perfect." Piper breathed, slightly puffy eyed.  
"Thanks." Clove replied, hopping down from the stand Piper had set her on and left the room. Cato was busy admiring himself in front of the full length mirror in his bedroom, he caught sight of Clove and spun round.  
"You look… Gold." The outfit shone a 'thank you' in response, almost blinding the both of them.  
"Well, at least I'm not the only one." She tried to joke, but there was nothing funny in the tone of her voice. Bonnie was busy sorting things with Brutus by the lift, she didn't see them coming. Clove stayed close by Cato as Bonnie turned towards them, the impact would be immense.  
"YOU LOOK FANTASTIC!" She shrilled, her movement was a lot freer thanks to much lower heels than before, but none the less just as ghastly. Her hands found both of our shoulders as she shook them violently in excitement.  
"You will be the stars!" She beamed, her teeth still gleamed every color under the sun as she ushered them onto the lift. Once on the ground floor, it was a maze through the center until they reached the chariots. But not once did they bump into any other tributes. Once with the chariots, the tributes had five minutes to get organized. Clove spent that five minutes with her chariot's horses, they towered above her and their coal black coats shone.  
"You're beautiful aren't you?" She hummed to him, the stallion nuzzled her hands in search of treats but found none. He nickered softly in her face before spinning round with his ears pinned back at his partner.  
"Why, we meet again." A familiar voice purred behind her. She pasted her face with the most realistic smile she could muster, and turned to face him. Marvel was drowning in a fuchsia pink cape, and his jewel encrusted suit underneath shone gold as they reflected Clove's outfit.  
"Looking pink." Clove's smile twitched, awkwardly shifting her gaze towards the box that held the head Peacekeepers and Game Maker.  
"Hmm, it's an acquired taste, but I have to say, you look particularly ravishing in that golden number." He winked and pulled her closer. She woodenly accepted a peck on her cheek. But he sensed her edge and released her from his arms.  
"What's wrong, gorgeous?" He pulled her back and his forehead tilted down to hers. Her eyes were fixated on the box now, and she could see the shapes inside gathering and talking together.  
"Um, I'm just…" She peered over his shoulder, to see Cato staring over and shaking his head. "I just need to go talk to Twista!" She exclaimed, handing his arms back to him and rushing over to Cato and Twista. Clove avoided looking back over her shoulder, at Marvel, or the box. _It's for your own good_, she wanted to tell him, but she knew he wouldn't understand. Cato saw her coming and straightened his back in satisfaction, he knew she hadn't told Marvel the situation.  
"I see you've left him _without_ an explanation I hope?" He turned her around and began walking her back towards the chariots. Marvel had returned to his own and shot Clove an unsure look before boarding. She kept her eyes to herself at all costs and power-walked past Bonnie and Brutus and hopped into the chariot without approval from the staff. Cato followed shortly after, his eyes transfixed on Glimmer's golden waves in front of him.  
"Cato?" Clove interrupted his thought, he looked down at her and gave her a faint smile.  
"Ready to put on your meanest look, Shorty?"  
"I'm way ahead of you, giant." She mocked a scowl up at him, and he laughed down at her. They both squared their shoulders to the chariot in front and straightened their backs. They were born ready for this.  
"Just remember, if you're going to wave, don't be all faddy about it. Make out as if you're ready and going to win these games." Brutus stood by one horse in front of them, patting his nose.  
"Sure." Cato didn't meet Brutus's watchful eyes; he was still steaming from hours ago. Clove nodded in response, as Brutus was directed away by staff and the first chariot disappeared through the doors. The roar of the crowd was phenomenal, from what Clove could see, thousands and thousands of Capitol people had gathered in the streets, hanging out of windows, and throwing colorful ribbons down from roofs. The night was alive. The blackness of the late night had been replaced by torches and huge fitted lights on top of selected roofs.  
"Well, all I can say is that they know how to throw a party." Cato's voice was as clear as butterfly wings, blended and basically muted for all the good it did. Clove narrowed her eyes at his moving lips, but she couldn't make out what else he was saying. Before she had time to even try to make something of hip lips, it was District 2's turn to enter the streets. _Brace Yourself_. Clove told herself, turning her lips up slightly into a daring smile, and her brow creased slightly in determination.  
"_Clove!"  
"Cato!"  
"District Two!" _The crowds screamed their names, waving and blowing kisses and throwing glitter, ribbons and other things Clove couldn't be doing with. She rolled her eyes as they reached out desperately over the bars to just dream of touching her from the distance she was at from them. She watched the horses pulling her chariot, surprised at how chilled and well trained the animals were to trot unleaded and forward to the center of the Capitol.  
"Wave." Cato briefly bent down to her ear. She remembered Brutus's words, _'__Just remember, if you're going to wave, don't be all faddy about it' _Clove thought about how he would determine a 'faddy' wave. So without really thinking, she threw her arm in the air, her fist balled and above her head. Powerful, yes, that's what she wanted, that's what she wanted to look like. To these people. And by the way they reacted, she'd done just that. As the chariot passed through the city, the closer the horses towed it to the center, the thicker and the louder the crowds got. Clove's eyes didn't waver from glaring right ahead of her, past the chariot in front, and straight ahead down the long stretch of road. Where, at the end, the chariots would line up and listen to a rambling speech about the history of Panem, and receive the 'oh so warm' welcome from none other, but President Snow. The man who tore her from Marvel because it wasn't a part of his game, and the man who threatened to hurt him, or kill him. If she didn't obey.


	8. Chapter 8

The chariots began to peel away, one by one. Clove firmly locked her glare on her feet, feeling the burn of Marvel's in the back of her head. The crowds screamed their names as loud as before, but Clove hadn't noticed. She just wanted to get away from President Snow, and away from Marvel. Cato remained silent on the way back, neither of them spoke. He held his head high and nodded at screaming girls in acknowledgement as they trotted by. Clove peered over her shoulder, not at Marvel – who desired her gaze more than anyone – but Glimmer, who seemed to be restraining herself from wildly lashing out at Cato.  
"I don't think you should do that." Clove elbowed him, flicking her eyes over at Glimmer in the hope he'd understand.  
"It's for the sponsors. She should know that." His voice level and emotionless. It sent chills down Clove's spine. To know how such a simple tweak to their lives, could change who they were. Tufts of Cato's blonde fringe poked out from underneath the headpiece, his forehead gleaming with sweat. She didn't blame him, the heat radiating from the crowds and the over powering street lamps was infernal. Clove heard her name hiss from behind her. Her body tensed up, making it even more uncomfortable underneath the heavy outfit and shifting the plates from where they had been set across her body. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, as the caller persisted for her attention.  
"Ignore him." Cato seethed, his lips hardly moving and his head still held facing the gaping hole in the side of the building they were about to enter. As the crowds drowned out, they were plunged into darkness. Until seconds later they reappeared in the same hall that they had grouped and set out for the chariot parade in. Her horses hadn't stopped moving, but Clove hopped out the back of the chariot anyhow with Cato at her heels. Angry voices snapped about health and safety far behind them, but they ignored the man and marched out of the hall and through the winding corridors to the lift.  
"Thank god that's over." Cato sighed, shaking his head in disbelief as they boarded the lift. Clove murmured a response as her index finger drove '2' back into the control panel. The lift shot up as Clove caught sight of a pair of pink shoes frantically closing in on them.  
"Don't let him up." Cato mused to the Peacekeeper guarding in the lift as he strode through the living area and towards the table.  
"I'm starved." He muttered, tipping a plateful of garnish and various peppers onto the linen dining cloth and replacing it with fresh slabs of gammon. Clove was by his side scraping up the peppers and sprinkling them onto her own plate, only stealing the last slices of meat after Cato had gone. As she headed towards her room, with the plate in one hand, she used her free fingers to pick off the scales of gold across her chest and drop them around her feet, leaving a golden path leading back towards her room. They pinged off the floor and bounced in every direction and some even disappeared underneath the low cupboards. Clove swung her door open and suddenly spun round to the terrifying sound of a human in pain. Stumbling back in shock, Clove only managed to see two tall figures fighting at the other side of the fogged lift doors. _Oh GOD…_ She thought. The doors calmly slid open and the Peacekeeper fell to the wooden floor, as Marvel stepped in. His eyes met hers and he gushed over, encasing her in his arms and trapping her there.  
"Marvel! Get off! Go! Get out of here!" She shrieked, slapping his chest and writhing within his grasp, but like that was going to persuade him.  
"What's going on with you Clove? You've suddenly decided that you don't love me? That you don't want to love me? What is it!" His voice was raised in anger and he shook her violently by the shoulders.  
"Hey! Get off her!" Brutus materialized out of nowhere and hauled Marvel away. Bonnie wailed and shrieked in her doorway, cowering away as Brutus and Marvel fought each other, but it was an easy win for a past victor. He sent a clenched fist plummeting into Marvel's jaw, sending him on his way to the cold flooring across from Clove. Her hands were shaky and slowly drawing up to her lips, her eyes widened in horror.  
"Stop it Brutus!" She yelped, her voice high and breaking. Her mentor had Marvel pinned against the wall and had a fist poised over his shoulder to swing down on Marvel, when he froze to look up at Clove. Cato marched from his room and glared at Marvel beside Clove.  
"Just stop it!" Clove shrieked once more, before turning and sprinting down to her room, stomping on the golden leaves and splattering blood from her feet up the cream walls with every stride. Slamming the door and blocking out the situation behind her, she ripped the headpiece from the bun on her head and launched it at the mirrored wall, watching it shatter around her bed. Tears streamed down her face and she threw herself into the pillows, even though they were sprinkled with shards of glass. Sobs drowned out whatever was said outside her door, and the faint hum of the lift trailed off moments later. A gentle knock at her door and Bonnie was there, equipped with an embroided hankie. A quick glance at the mirror and she took a step inside, shutting the door carefully behind her.  
"Oh look what you've done." She hummed, but her voice wasn't harsh, it was soothing and comforting and soft. She perched beside Clove's head and stroked her hair. After all her judgments on Bonnie, she had never suspected this side to her. She'd always assumed her head was filled with Capitol air, but it wasn't. Maybe Bonnie did understand. She stayed with her until she stopped crying, and when Clove began muttering and spluttering into the pillow.  
"I hate seeing him hurt Marvel, I hate it! It's my fault he hurt him, I didn't warn him about what had been said, that's why he came! It's my fault!" She yelled, but Bonnie didn't flinch. She nodded as she listened, her fingers carefully stroking Cloves loose dark waves. The sky began to lighten, and the birds started chirping, but Bonnie still stayed, even though the tiredness hovered over her like a buzzing fly.  
"Go Bonnie, get some sleep. I'll just get a bath or something." Clove pushed her hand away and waved her out the room. Bonnie smiled, behind Clove's ignorant tone and arrogance, she knew she cared. When Bonnie had disappeared through the door, Clove sat up and caught a glimpse of herself in the shattered remains of mirror. From what she could understand, she was a wreck. Skipping on the balls of her feet, Clove felt the dried crisp layer of blood crumple underneath her feet and she winced as she shifted weight from foot to foot. Turning the hot tap on as far as it would go, Clove leant out of the doorway as the steam rolled out and grabbed the portable radio left on her dresser, flicking through the stations she finally settled on one that she liked. Stripping off the last of the clothes from the night before, Clove delved into the scorching pool, not caring, or unaware how hot it truly was. But she stayed there and let the water burn her body right through to her bones, soaking and zoning out, letting the music carry her away…  
"And now! We will go to Jimicia Suzarland with her new single, Away!" An over enthusiastic man called through the speaker. No, Clove hated this song. She leant over and tuned the radio onto the disk sat within it, relaxing as the ballads rang through the room. Impatient, she flicked the songs through, leaving one on for a few seconds before continuing.  
"I liked that song." A soft voice came from behind the door. Her head fell back in dismay against the tiles, before she surged from the water and hopped onto the bath mat beside her.  
"This CD is exclusive to this floor." She mused, trying to keep her cool, "How would you know what it sounded like."  
"Because you leave the balcony unlocked." He countered. Clove wrapped herself in a towel and dabbed her entire body down until she was dry, slipping into the under dress again with her soaking hair plastered against her back. She opened the door and the steam that had been trapped in with her burst out and fogged her vision. As it evaporated, she saw him. All battered and bruised by his encounter with Brutus, yet his temper seemed to have simmered and all that filled his eyes was heavy sorrow.  
"You shouldn't be here." She sighed, slackening off her body and shaking her head as if she'd given up. He burst up and took a step towards her.  
"But why?" His fingers ran along her jaw bone, "Why shouldn't I?" Clove felt a sharp pain drive through her stomach; she knew he wasn't going to just leave it. He wanted to know. He had to know. His fingers titled her chin towards him, but her gaze was not his just yet. Clove stared into the framed photos on her bedside cabinet, avoiding any eye contact with him. Marvel ran his right hand softly up her jaw bone, cupping the side of her head within his hand.  
"Look at me." He whispered, and her eyes lifted up to his. He scanned her face for any sign of emotion, but found nothing. Her lips were firmly closed together and her eyes bored into his. She swallowed hard; knowing what she was going to say next was going to crash down on him like a ton of bricks. She watched him closely; his beautiful blue eyes seemed to glow in the dim light, his milky skin flawless, and the stray strands of mousse hair curling around his face… Clove lost her train of thought and her eyes fell down onto his lips, intently staring at them when they opened slightly and closed in on hers. The kiss they shared that night wasn't like the many they had shared before. His lips were warm on hers and she tasted the slight tang of blood from when Brutus slammed his fist into his face earlier. His eagerness was apparent, he pulled her closer and his hands found her waist and the back of her neck. Clove then wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. All the stress of staying as far away from him as possible melted away, and all she wanted, was Marvel. For a minute, she didn't care about President Snow's threats, Brutus's reaction or even The Games. All she cared about was her future with Marvel. She pictured him in the streets of District Two with a ring on his finger, returning to her from a day of heavy work with the masonry, wrapping him up in her welcoming arms in their kitchen, whilst the sun oozed into the horizon and they grew old together. Soon she felt hot, salty tears leak down her cheeks and disappearing into her hair. A low sob cut through her and Marvel immediately pulled away to examine her.  
"Oh Clo." He muttered, enveloping her in his arms with her cheek pressed up against his warm chest. He rocked them slightly on the balls of his feet as they cuddled in silence. Clove forced herself to be silent, listening to the steady pace of his heart incased in his rib cage.  
"Why can't it stay like this?" She whimpered, losing all hope of ever regaining a reputation.  
"Because of The Hunger Games, love." He cooed, resting his head on top of hers as his fingers entangled within her hair. Soon heavy boots crushing the golden flakes that Clove had discarded the night before, and the rasp of knuckles against her door.  
"Clove? You descent?" Brutus called, and the door knob turned fully as the door began to swing open. She leapt from Marvel's arms, limping slightly before throwing her entire body weight onto the door, sending a thundering crash echoing through the floor when she slammed it shut.  
"No! Uhh, no I'm not! You'll have to wait!" She snapped, spinning around with her back pinned to the door and waving her arm frantically at Marvel to get the hell out of there.  
"Oh, ok. Well, be ready for six." Brutus began to turn away from the door and walk off.  
"Why?"  
"Because we are playing hosts." Brutus called, Clove's brow creased in confusion, she turned to look at Marvel but he'd already retreated to his floor.  
"To who?"  
"One." She didn't know whether to be extremely excited that Marvel would be entering their floor without the risk of being battered by her mentor, or terrified knowing that she still hadn't told him and they'd have to play the 'just friends' act in front of everyone.  
"Why is there a problem?" Brutus's voice was right outside the door again, almost snide and expecting Clove to be shaking in her boots.  
"Ha, no." She scoffed, folding her arms over her chest and smirking.  
"Well, you and Cato need your nasty faces on tonight. The Capitol is sending in cameras to film the meal for the whole of Panem."  
"Meaning?"  
"Meaning, that if you play all lovey dovey with Marvel in front of them, for all of Panem to see, _after President Snow had warned you…"_ He had a major point. Clove nodded in agreement, even knowing that Brutus wouldn't actually be able to see.  
"So look pretty, make a good impression." Were his last words before the scuffs of his boots grew distant as he distanced himself from her door. Her cocky and proud expression dropped and she shuffled along the floor to face the clock, which read 5 'o' clock. One hour. Clove wasn't going to wait for Piper to make an appearance, she was going to have to do her make-up herself. Plopping down onto the dressing table stool, she stared down completely clueless at the masses of cosmetics laid out before her she randomly grabbed at a familiar tube she'd seen Piper use when coating her face with foundation. Squirting out its contents into the palm of her hand, she roughly drowned her skin in the stuff, lathering it unevenly over the surface of her face and totally hiding her sprinkling of freckles. Throwing the empty bottle away, she scrubbed her skin with both hands until it blended in and didn't make her face look like she'd just had a bucket of water thrown over her. She raked through Piper's boxes until she found what she knew to be mascara. She'd never worn it herself – unless her mother insisted – before coming to the Capitol. But she had the general gist of how to apply it, after seeing her mother caking her eyelashes in the stuff, and experiencing to herself when Piper had done her make up. Untwisted the brush, she swiped the bristles along her lashes. Dabs of black dotted her eyelids, but the actual lashes looked pretty good. Wiping away the mess around her eyes, Clove then grabbed out some lipstick. Rubbing it across her lips, and examining her overall face, she threw it back in the case it had appeared and dove off towards the wardrobe. Swinging the doors open, she tore out the closest dress. It was a floaty sky blue number, whilst one side of her body was decorated with hand-made rippling roses that faded as the skirt went on, but covering the left side of the bodice entirely. It covered her feet, and this time she had no second thoughts about not wearing shoes, the soles of her feet couldn't take it. Now, her hair. The only ever thing she could do with it – knowing it would turn out perfect – was a ponytail. Without hesitation, she eyed a brush and began dragging it through her now sleek and dry hair, scraping it all up and tying it back, using some of the hair gel found in Piper's bags to make the loose strands stay back against her head. Returning to the clock, she found it to be 17:54. Sighing with relief she moved over to the door, swinging it open and swiftly making her way to the living space, where Cato sat alone in a silver suit.  
"Because this isn't going to be the slightest bit awkward." He ran his fingers through his hair as he gave her a tired look. She knew just by observing the dark rings under his eyes that he hadn't slept that night – it wasn't like him to miss a wink of sleep let alone a full night's worth. Clove shrugged off what Bonnie would say when she slumped down in the stunning dress next to her district partner.  
"You saw Marvel today, didn't you." He mumbled, staring coldly into the wooden floor. Clove choked on her breath and quickly regained herself.  
"I don't know what you're talking about." She seethed. Cato glared at her and inhaled to snap at her, but the lift doors interrupted him and out stepped Glimmer. She had brought all of her wavy golden locks round to one side of her face, pinned there with a huge pink flower glistening under the light. Her dress was a slim fit, bright pink with golden gems decorating the skirt and dancing as her feet moved forward towards us. Her eyes were locked on Cato, probably working up some conclusion as to why he'd suddenly began ignoring her. Clove couldn't help but feel sorry for her, she was poised with her shoulders back and her spine straight as if this world bowed to her feet, but she didn't know the truth. Marvel hopped out after her, his hands in the pockets of a midnight blue suit, as he strode over to them, a smile fighting its way onto his lips. Cashmere was welcomed by Brutus loudly as the four tributes hung in the echoes of their mentors conversation, not breathing a word. She cringed, frowning to herself away from the others. Bringing her eyes round, she watched each tribute in turn, analyzing each expression. Cato wasn't even looking at her, just down at his shoes with such disgust that she'd have thought they'd been worn by a tramp. Marvel met her gaze hopefully, a faint smile on his lips and his eyebrows raised as if he was asking her to begin conversation. And Glimmer, eyes seething into the coffee table as her tongue ran along her teeth behind her lips. _Oh damn, _she thought, _this is going to be a looong night._


End file.
